The Day The Moon Fell
by Spunky0ne
Summary: In the wake of his first time defeating Byakuya in battle, Renji takes an action that sends both of their lives into chaos...mpreg, angst.
1. Breathe

**The Day The Moon Fell**

**By Spunky0ne**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**_In the aftermath of Aizen's fall and incarceration, we entered a new age of peace and rebuilding in the Seireitei. Over the weeks that followed, we rebuilt what had fallen, healed the injured, and strengthened the ties that bound us. It was against that backdrop that my longtime dream was finally realized. For over forty years I had dreamed of reaching out and touching the moon. One day, unexpectedly, I reached that goal. But as the famed Senbonzakura shattered in his wielder's hand, a snap decision I made in the heat of that friendly battle threw our lives into chaos. And now, things will never be the same._**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Renji sighed in relief as he signed off on the last of the stack of reports that had tied Byakuya and him to their respective desks for weeks after Aizen's capture, leaving them unable to do much more than share meals while working and slip away for short training sessions to stretch their legs and rebuild their strength in the wake of their battles in Hueco Mundo. Such was their workload that both had essentially abandoned their homes outside the sixth division and caught what scant hours of sleep they could in their respective quarters.

Although once or twice, Renji had accompanied his captain into his quarters to finish up a few stray tasks and had drifted off on the noble's bed as Byakuya read and signed the last few pages and quietly turned off the light and went to sleep alongside his vice captain…

Not a word was ever said about those nights by either. Having lain close to each other on the battlefield and fought for their lives more than a few times in the return from Hueco Mundo, the two had fallen into a sort of harmony and existed almost as extensions of each other. But as time went on, that ease…that letting down of barriers opened each to the other. And it was then that Renji Abarai began to notice things about Byakuya that he hadn't before…things that, in his desire to surpass the proud noble, he had missed.

Renji had, at first, seen Byakuya as an icon of the noble class. In the early days of knowing him, Byakuya was a pinnacle of power, beauty and ruthlessness, the essence of the pride and arrogance that seemed to mark the noble class. And Rukia's induction into the Kuchiki clan had set off the fires of under confidence in the young redhead. If, he thought, Byakuya Kuchiki wanted to come into his life and steal his best friend…to take her away from him and make her believe that nobles like Byakuya were so superior, then, by kami, Renji was going to get strong and beat the man down until he had to admit that Renji was not just a dog from the Rukon, but someone worthy of Rukia's friendship and admiration.

In their battle over Rukia's execution, Byakuya had done nothing to amend that perception, goading his vice captain as he delivered blow after blow, until finally, Renji collapsed at his feet. But in the aftermath of that battle, the noble did something unexpected. As he stood over the wreckage of his fallen subordinate, he unwound the long scarf from around his throat, and as a tribute to Renji's resolve and growing ability, he spread it over Renji's bloodied form before turning and walking away. After saving Rukia, Byakuya had never asked to have it returned and Renji had never offered to return it. Neither had he cleaned their mingled blood from it. He kept it folded neatly in his dresser and let his fingertips gently brush the expensive fabric as he dressed each day.

It was a reminder of what he was seeking…

Yes…although Byakuya saving Rukia had earned Renji's respect, the sixth division vice captain still sought that long-held goal. But the reasons for having that goal were slowly changing. He no longer thought to beat down his arrogant, noble captain to prove a point. He didn't need anymore to prove anything to Byakuya. And, in any case, Byakuya was no longer simply a representative of the pride and arrogance of the noble class. His desperation to save Rukia and his subsequent confession and apology to her had revealed to Renji that someone very different lived beneath that fine, pale skin…someone Renji had never known or crossed swords with. This man was quiet and withdrawn…and the few times Renji was allowed to see through the noble's careful defenses, he sensed deep solitude and loneliness. There was courage in the man…resolve…and recklessness that his family had done their best to deprive him of. Byakuya was careful to give him only short glimpses, but his awareness of the existence of this hidden incarnation of his captain changed Renji's perception even more.

So…ever so slowly, hatred turned to respect, respect to admiration, and admiration into the beginnings of something that felt very much like love. Renji sensed that Byakuya, too, had changed in how he viewed his vice captain. It was embedded in their everyday conversations…normal sounding exchanges over work, in the words and eye contact as they greeted and took leave of each other, and it was always…always apparent in their training.

At first, he had been nervous about Byakuya's offer to allow them to train with no protective controls. After all, he had grown beyond wanting to hurt Byakuya, and now only sought to be able, just once, to defeat him in their training battles. And once each month, Byakuya offered him an opportunity to reach that goal…looking up from his work, meeting Renji's eye and then standing, taking his weapon and leading his subordinate out onto the training grounds. Each time they fought, Renji learned something new, and between battles, he studied endlessly to overcome what had caused him to fail before. Their monthly battles lasted increasingly longer, and the noble's proud body was often nearly as battered as Renji's when they were finished. Each knew that the day was coming that Renji would win his first battle, but neither suspected that the day was so near…or that Renji's first victory over his now beloved captain would leave such devastation in its wake.

"Here's your tea, Captain," Renji said, smiling as their fingers brushed against each other in the exchange.

He couldn't help but feel pleased at the flustered look that flashed in the dark gray eyes and the pretty blush that touched his cheeks.

"Arigato, Renji," he said calmly, but Renji heard the very slight tremor in his voice as he said it.

It's so obvious. I'd have to be an idiot not to see that he wants me too. I wonder why he won't do anything…won't say anything about it…

Never once did Renji consider making the first move. The man was his superior officer and a clan leader. And Byakuya was obviously abnormally shy, despite how powerful and privileged he was. The redhead worried that moving in suddenly would trigger his defenses and make him too defensive. And besides, he sensed something else behind Byakuya's reticence…something he suspected had to do with the Kuchiki clan. But he wasn't sure what it was…and until he knew, he planned never to step over that line.

Renji walked back to his desk and sat down. He continued to work, taking sips of tea and stealing glances at his captain. Byakuya sat quietly and appeared to be focused on his work, but every so often, his eyes would stray to Renji…touch gently on him for a moment, then return to the work on his desk. The redhead longed for the noble to break the bonds that held him back and to set fire to their seething emotions.

"Renji," said the noble, standing and taking hold of Senbonzakura, "It is time for our training."

"Right, Captain," Renji replied, picking up Zabimaru and following him out to the training grounds.

They quietly took their places and held their weapons ready. Byakuya didn't give him a moment to think, but immediately attacked with his senka, knowing full well Renji could block it now. Renji forced his blade down and their eyes met as the two moved into a heated exchange of hard strikes and blocks, turns and slashes. Repeatedly, their swords crashed against each other and their feet carried them in an intricate dance around the large grounds. By the time they flash stepped away from each other to release shikai, both men wore light tracings of blood on their skin.

Renji easily stopped the release of the noble's shikai and the two moved on to a bout of heavy hakudo fighting intermingled with more slashing of swords. Amidst the exchange, Byakuya managed to release a burst of petals that set Renji's skin on fire, but he paid for it as Zabimaru caught his shoulder, rending fabric and flesh, and making the proud noble yield a sound of pain. He recovered quickly and they entered a barrage of mixed attacks that left both bleeding freely. Renji saw Byakuya step back and sway slightly for a moment…and without pausing to think, erupted into ban kai.

It happened so quickly that Byakuya had no time to release his own ban kai. He used a blend of shikai and kido blasts to try to bring the skeletal snake down…to give himself time to raise a more powerful attack, but Renji knew well now not to panic, and how to weather his captain's attacks…and although, eventually, Byakuya was able to complete the release of ban kai, the skeletal snake was slowly cornering him…and both men knew it.

"Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi…" Byakuya said, sending a cloud of petals and attempting to wrap them around Renji and his skeletal snake. He gasped in surprise a moment later, when the skeletal snake broke through the petals, carrying a panting and disheveled Renji on its back and releasing a blinding red blast at the stunned captain. He flash stepped away, just in time, but the snake turned swiftly and bore down on him again. His eyes widened in surprise and twin blasts of blue fire burst from his hands, slowing the snake and giving him time to flash step away.

"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Shukei Hakuteiken…"

He had never raised the white emperor sword in any of their battles…

When Renji had asked him why, Byakuya would only say that it hadn't been time. But for whatever reason, Senbonzakura flared white and the reiatsu exploded around them. Renji felt a surge of adrenaline as they surged towards each other, each putting all of himself into a last, hard attack. The impact was so shattering that he lost the sense to feel it. He managed to come down on his feet and a moment later, saw the tip of a slender blade slice into the ground. He turned and looked up to see Byakuya, the white light still shining around him as Senbonzakura broke apart into a hail of harmless pink petals…and petals and captain began to fall.

Without hesitation, he launched his aching body into the air and caught his captain, then brought them down gently and dropped to his knees, holding Byakuya in his arms and staring. The dark, pained eyes looked up at him and the noble said nothing, but everything Renji needed was conveyed in the pride in those beautiful eyes.

"C-congratulations…Renji," Byakuya managed finally, "You have broken my blade."

Renji ignored the words and the swell of pride in his chest and immediately set about healing the most serious of Byakuya's injuries. The noble rested quietly, making no sound, even when Renji knew he was in pain. As the injuries were healed and the pain faded, Byakuya reached up and began to heal the worst of Renji's injuries, which he noted, were nearly as serious as his own.

"Don't worry about that, Captain," Renji said, gently pulling the pale hands away from his body, "I'll be fine…and besides…I earned those. I want to feel them."

Byakuya's lips curved upwards and he relaxed. Renji opened his shihakushou to treat a serious slash to his ribs and couldn't help but notice Byakuya gazing up at him with a pleased, but at the same time, sad expression. Again, he sensed the loneliness, the longing beneath the proud exterior…and in the flush of victory, Renji Abarai made a sudden, somewhat reckless decision. He leaned over Byakuya, working at the torn flesh of his shoulder, then as the wound disappeared, he shifted, bringing his face closer to the noble's. A blush rose immediately on his captain's pale cheeks and Renji decided that he had waited long enough. He closed the distance between them and captured the startled noble's lips in a deep, sensuous kiss. Byakuya's hands rose up and pressed against his chest, and he tried to speak, but Renji didn't want to hear the words. Instead, he thrust his tongue between Byakuya's parted lips and kissed him harder, bringing his body down on top of the noble's, trapping it firmly beneath his own. He released the sweet tasting lips and used his hand to ward off Byakuya's objections.

"Captain…" he whispered, "We both know what's been going on. I've seen the way you look at me. I never acted on it before…because I didn't feel right about it. But things are different now. I'm different. If you think I'm wrong, then say the words. Tell me that you don't want me…that I'm not good enough for you. Tell me that I don't deserve you!"

He slowly removed his hand from over Byakuya's mouth and the noble gazed up at him with a haunted expression.

"You are not beneath me…and it isn't that you don't deserve me. You are more than good enough…and you are right that I do want you. But, Renji…we…"

"Stop," said the redhead, reclaiming his lips, "Don't say anymore. Just…lets act on what we feel right now. I finally feel worthy of being with you…"

"Renji," the noble said, pushing harder against his chest as the redhead kissed him, "Renji…I can't…"

"Yes," Renji said between kisses, "You can. You deserve to be with me, if you want to be. We both deserve this. Just relax and let it happen."

"You don't…understand…"

"I love you," Renji said, making the dark eyes widen in surprise and bringing desperation to his expression.

Renji's hand slid down and removed their loosened hakamas. Byakuya gasped into the redhead's mouth as Renji's hot flesh touched his. He moaned and his fingers curled into the fabric of Renji's opened top as Renji's body rubbed against his.

"Tell me honestly that you don't love me," Renji said, staring down into his captain's eyes, "Tell me you don't love me…and I'll stop."

"I…" Byakuya panted, "I…can't…I can't love you, Renji…I can't."

Renji shook his head.

"But you didn't say that you don't," Renji said, still thrusting against him and feeding him kisses, "I feel the truth, even though you won't say it. Byakuya, you aren't pushing me away anymore. You are holding on so tightly, I couldn't leave you now if I tried. Stop fighting me…and stop fighting yourself…"

He left off talking and took his captain's lips and mouth again in a heavy torrent of kisses. He slid slowly down the pale, writhing form, tasting the sweet, white flesh everywhere as Byakuya's words faded into incomprehensible moans and panting breaths. Renji knew better than to wait any longer. He wet his fingers in the noble's mouth and carefully prepared him, then settled in between his parted thighs and buried his mouth in kisses as he entered. Byakuya made only a single, small sound of distress as his body tightened in protest, then slowly relaxed and began to move with Renji's. His eyes closed and he breathed harshly against the skin of Renji's throat as the redhead thrust deeply into his body, pulled away and thrust in again.

"Aishiteru yo, Captain…" Renji whispered, returning to his lips as their pleasure began to peak and Byakuya moaned and thrashed beneath him.

Hot seed spilled onto their skin and the noble cried out softly as Renji's heat filled him inside. He made no more pretenses of trying to push the redhead away, but met his kisses hungrily.

"Renji…aishiteru yo. You are right. I wanted you! I wanted you for the longest time. I have to tell you that…before…Renji…we have to leave the Seireitei…now!"

Renji stared down at him in surprise.

"What? Why?" he asked, noting the desperation that had entered Byakuya's eyes.

Byakuya pulled away from him and hastily set his clothes back in place. Renji adjusted his own clothes and followed as the noble flash stepped back inside the sixth division and headed for the front door.

"Captain!" Renji called out as they ran, "Captain, what's happening?"

And then he felt the rising reiatsu…

"Run!" Byakuya hissed, "We have to make it into the Rukongai before they reach us!"

They left the division and flash stepped through the darkened streets. Renji followed on his heels, feeling the press of strong reiatsu and hearing distant flash steps and voices behind them.

"Captain!" Renji said breathlessly, "Who are they? Who's following us?"

Byakuya didn't answer but only flash stepped faster as they closed in on the Seireitei's gate into the Rukongai. Just when it looked as though they would reach it, flash steps sounded all around them and twelve dark, hooded forms surrounded them. Renji placed himself at the noble's back and drew his sword.

"It isn't any good, Renji," Byakuya said softly, his voice strangely calm and his body relaxing against his vice captain's, "They are too strong…even if my sword hadn't been broken, the two of us could not defeat all of them. Don't resist. They will only kill you."

Renji stared as one of their pursuers stepped forward and removed his hood, revealing a pale, lovely face, much like Byakuya's.

"The elders?" he asked softly.

Byakuya made a soft sound of affirmation as his cousin stepped forward, glaring at them.

"Where are you going, Lord Byakuya?" he asked softly.

Byakuya looked back at his cousin silently. The man looked more closely at Renji.

"Is this the one? The commoner we sensed with you?" he asked.

A group of guards from the Seireitei gatehouse approached them and Byakuya's cousin stepped forward to meet them.

"Is there some trouble here?" the lead guard asked.

"No trouble," the noble assured him, "This is family business…and does not concern you."

The guards knew better than to argue and turned away. Byakuya's cousin turned back to face them.

"Now then…" he said, stepping forward, "Where were we? Lord Byakuya, I think you were about to explain why you were sensed having sex with this commoner. I very clearly remember you standing before all of us and promising that after marrying Hisana and bringing that other Rukongai trash into the family, you would never step out of bounds again. You have to have known we would sense you."

"It's my fault," Renji said quickly, "He didn't want to."

The elder's glare deepened and he looked from Renji to the still silent Byakuya.

"Well, Cousin," the elder said quietly, "Is this true? Did this commoner overwhelm you? Did he force himself on you?"

"Y…" Renji began.

"No," Byakuya answered softly, "He defeated in fair battle…and then…I gave in to him."

His cousin gave him a surprised look.

"So…even knowing the cost, you let him take you?"

"As I said, he proved himself in battle. I did not see it as a breaking of the rules, considering…"

There was a long moment of silence, then the elder nodded to the others.

Renji made an exclamation of dismay as four of the nobles encircled him and froze him in place with their kido.

"Captain!" Renji called out, watching helplessly as Byakuya was surrounded and restrained.

"Satoshi," Byakuya said calmly, "Release my vice captain. I will cooperate fully. You don't need to include him. He hasn't done anything wrong."

"That's where you are wrong, Lord Byakuya, said his cousin, "He dared to lay hands on our head of household…in violation of the agreement you made with us."

"He didn't know about it. If he had, he would never have touched me!" Byakuya insisted.

"Better for both of you if he hadn't," said Satoshi, "Because now we have no choices. You have taken those choices away by breaking our laws in defiance of your vow."

"Look, let him go," Renji said, struggling against the kido that held him, "I won't let it happen again. It wasn't his fault. He was weakened from our battle…"

Satoshi nodded.

"Indeed…and it seems that our leader has become too weak to continue."

He turned back to Byakuya and drew his zanpakutou. The other cousins moved in around the restrained noble and placed their hands on him. The reiatsu flared around them.

"Stop!" yelled Renji, "What are you doing to him?"

Within the restraining kido, Byakuya swayed and dropped to his knees. He made no sound as his cousins finished what they were about, then stepped away. Satoshi stood in front of Byakuya, looking down at him with sympathy.

"I am sorry," he said, sincerity in his voice, "but this is the understanding that we had. We cannot have a leader who cannot follow our rules, or one that is too weak to lead us. But do not worry, now that we have reclaimed the power our bloodline gave you, we will give that power to another…and our clan will be strong again. I will make your death swift and humane."

"No!" screamed Renji, shattering the kido that held him and flash stepping forward.

Kido fire exploded from all around, sending him crashing to the ground as Satoshi raised his blade and struck Byakuya. Renji screamed again as blood exploded around his captain and he sank to the ground at his cousin's feet. The twelve elders turned together and walked away, not looking back as Renji dragged himself to the fallen noble's side and called out to the guards on duty.

He turned Byakuya and studied the wound, a chill slicing through him at its accuracy and depth.

"Damn!" he hissed softly, standing and lifting Byakuya into his arms, "They're not going to be able to do anything. There's only one person who can save you now!"

He flash stepped towards the central senkaimon, ignoring the voices of the guards behind him. He reached the senkaimon and flash stepped through the precipice world, whispering words of encouragement, but expecting that the noble was too far gone to hear them. He swept down into the living world and ran for Urahara's shop, the air burning in his lungs. He shattered the front door as he burst inside, calling out for Kisuke. The shopkeeper appeared and directed him into a room, where he set Byakuya down and The shopkeeper leaned over him as Renji stood, watching and struggling to regain his breath. Urahara made an exclamation of dismay and placed his hands on the noble's chest, invoking a dark reiatsu that wrapped around Byakuya and sank into his body. A bolt of terror went through Renji as Byakuya fell still.

"Kisuke!" he gasped.

"It's okay, for the moment," the shopkeeper assured him, "He's in suspended animation. I'm calling for Orihime…just…Renji, you need to know. Even if she saves his life…there's a problem. But I'll explain after he's out of danger…"

"Just don't let him, Kisuke…please," Renji said, his eyes wide with desperation, "If he dies, it will be my fault!"


	2. Ruins

**Chapter 2: Ruins**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**So great was the devastation of that one moment of decision, that I lay in darkness and unaware as my life turned upside down and I was torn loose from it. I woke from the nightmare, reaching for you blindly, but how could I find you when I, myself, was lost?**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Renji sat quietly alongside Orihime, Kisuke and Yoruichi as Orihime focused her power and worked at slowly rejecting the near fatal wound in Byakuya's chest. The four looked up as the bedroom door opened and a white-faced Rukia walked in, followed by a deeply concerned Ichigo Kurosaki. Renji knew things were really bad when Rukia didn't even ask what had happened. She dropped down beside him and simply collapsed against him sobbing softly into his shoulder. Ichigo frowned down at him.

"Renji," he said, looking at the heartbroken girl, "What happened? I tried to get Rukia to explain, but she can't even talk about it. She just keeps crying and saying 'They killed him.' She felt it even before we got your message."

Yoruichi looked up at the substitute shinigami.

"Rukia is very close to Byakuya. I felt something as well, but I wasn't sure what had happened until Renji arrived."

"What did happen?" Ichigo asked Renji, "Who attacked him? Who'd even be strong enough to do this kind of damage to him?"

Renji shook his head, his eyes furious.

"It was the damned Kuchiki elders," he said bitterly, "I don't know why they did it exactly. All I know was that the captain and I were training together…and I had just beaten him for the first time. We were both pretty stunned by that…and we'd been…getting closer over time, you know? We didn't mean for anything to happen, but we were both so swept up in the moment. One thing led to another…and…well…you can figure out what happened. After…he seemed really unnerved…and Captain doesn't get rattled like that. But he was telling me we had to leave the Seireitei. So we headed for the Rukongai. But just before the gate, we were surrounded by the elders. The head elder, his cousin Satoshi, launched into some speech about how he'd broken the rules twice already by bringing Hisana and Rukia into the household…and he said something about a vow Captain made before the council…"

"I think I can shed some light on that," said Yoruichi, "Byakuya and I started training together sometimes after Aizen's betrayal. And during one of those training sessions, he told me about how after Rukia was admitted into the family, the elders gathered and told him that they would not tolerate any more commoners being brought into the family. Byakuya said that after suffering through losing Hisana…and feeling guilty over bringing dishonor to his family through his disobedience, he made a vow of obedience before the council…one with serious consequences if he was to transgress."

"But he didn't take me into the family!" Renji objected, "Sure, we started a closer relationship, but I did so knowing what they expected of him. I knew that eventually he would have to marry a noble lady and have kids, but…but that didn't matter to me. I just wanted to be with him."

"He obviously felt the same," said Yoruichi, "because he did this, knowing that the elders would come after him."

Kisuke bit his lips, thinking.

"Renji…what happened when they stopped you at the gate? What did they do to him?"

Renji swallowed hard and took a steadying breath.

"They surrounded us…and said he had broken the rules…and that he knew the consequences. They surrounded him…and touched him with their hands, and he collapsed. Then, while he was on his knees from that, his cousin gave him a killing blow. There were four of the bastards holding me…and I couldn't get free in time to stop them! The guards at the gate couldn't do anything because of the clan's royal privilege. They didn't come back until the elders left us."

"But you say the elders placed their hands on him and did something?" Kisuke asked, "Did they say anything about that?"

Renji blinked and thought carefully.

"Y-yeah…yeah…that Satoshi. He said something. He ah, said that they were taking back what their bloodline had given him."

Kisuke's eyes flicked upward to meet Yoruichi's and he leaned forward, palcing his hands on the unconscious captain and focusing intently. After a moment, he looked up at Yoruichi and nodded solemnly.

"What?" said Renji, reading their expressions, "Kisuke, what's happening? What did they do?"

Yoruichi met his eyes solemnly.

"The Kuchiki clan is the greatest of the four great noble houses. And because that is so, there has to be a careful balance between the leader and the elders. They had to have the means in place to remove a corrupted leader. But in removing the leader, they sought to retain the leader's power so that it could be added to the power of the leader named to replace him. They do this by placing a crest within the body of each clan member. The crest is bonded to each clan member's spirit centers, so that if a leader is corrupted and has to be killed, the power of the leader is protected through the removal of the crest. This steals the power, shuts down the spirit centers and places the stolen power inside some sort of item that is then worn by the new leader. What that means, is that the leader they choose to replace Byakuya will have his or her own power and zanpakutou…and they will also have Byakuya's power…and the stolen connection to Senbonzakura."

Renji, Rukia and Ichigo's eyes widened.

"They can do that?" Renji whispered in horror, "I thought no one could use another's zanpakutou!"

"In most cases, they can't," Yoruichi explained, "but the crest actually removes the part of the soul that makes the leader a shinigami…so now…for all intents and purposes, Byakuya is human."

"What?" Ichigo said incredulously, "He's…human?"

"Wait," said Renji, "Can't Orihime just reject the damage to his spirit centers?"

"She can do that," Kisuke said quietly, "but it won't matter since the part of him that controls them and all of the reiatsu they use is now stored in some artifact that the Kuchiki elders have."

"S-so what do we do?" whispered Rukia, "How do we help him?"

Kisuke gazed down at Byakuya for several long minutes, thinking.

"All we can do for now is damage control. Until the elders choose the next leader, we won't know what artifact they stored his power in. We have to have that for Orihime to reject the removal of his powers. And you can bet that the elders will not make it easy for us to gain access to it. It will be worn at all times by the new leader to augment his or her own powers…and…in addition to fighting that person, we may end up fighting Senbonzakura as well."

He went quiet for a moment, then looked up at the others.

"We can't let the elders know he survived," he said with finality, "We have to make them believe he is dead."

"How?" Rukia asked.

"He has to disappear," Kisuke explained, "It won't be awfully hard with his reiatsu gone. It's just a matter of proceeding from this point as though he didn't make it."

"And how will we do that?" asked Renji.

Kisuke exchanged glances with Yoruichi.

"We have to keep this quiet. Now…the guards saw you leave with him, Renji. You'll need to return and to give the head captain an official accounting of his death. No one will be able to sense the truth…except if Senbonzakura comes close to him…which means that we will have to conceal him somewhere. I have plenty of possible places. I will send you, Rukia and him to one of them."

"But why does Rukia…?" Renji began.

"Because the elders will likely have a nasty surprise in store for her if she returns to the Seirietei," said Yoruichi," Remember that they did not want to lose Byakuya, but felt forced to act as they did because of his love for commoners…Hisana, Rukia and you, Renji. You have to leave as well."

"But…that means the sixth division will lose…"

"I know," said Yoruichi, "but if you stay, the Kuchiki clan is likely to declare an unspoken war on the two of you. They may try to have you both killed. To them, it is a matter of honor."

"Honor…" Renji spat, "They call it honor to kill a guy for following his heart and falling in love…just because that love doesn't meet with their approval?"

"Well…" said Kisuke, "They may be out in left field, but right now, they hold all of the cards. They have Byakuya's power, in addition to the power of the twelve of them. We will have to figure out a way to overcome that power…"

He turned his head to look at Byakuya.

"But for right now, we'll focus on keeping him safe."

Orihime sighed softly and the glow from her healing power faded.

"I've healed his wounds and rejected the damage to his spirit centers, but he still needs a lot of rest. I think he will sleep for a long time."

Kisuke nodded.

"Why don't you two sit with him for a while?" he said.

Rukia and Renji nodded.

"Ichigo and Yoruichi…I'll need to talk to you about how we're going to protect him. Orihime, go into the next room and get some sleep. We might need you again…"

Rukia rested her weight against Renji as the others left them alone with Byakuya. For a long time, neither spoke. They sat in silence, watching the slow rise and fall of the noble's chest as he slept.

"Rukia," said Renji, after several long minutes of silence, "Do you hate me for this?"

Rukia looked up at him.

"Hate you?" she asked, frowning, "Why would I hate you? The elders did this, Renji."

"I know," the redhead said, looking down at the sleeping captain, "but they wouldn't have done it if we hadn't been together. He was resistant at first…I guess because he knew, but he didn't know how to tell me something like that. I wish he had. I wish I'd known. I never would have set this off if I'd known. I would have held back…because I wouldn't have wanted something like this to happen to him."

"It isn't your fault, Renji," Rukia said firmly, "You didn't know. And I know from living among them, how awful they can really be. They care so much about the protection of their power over the other clans that they will harm their own to see their needs met. And this isn't the only bad thing they've done to Nii-sama. From the time he was a boy and was named heir, they haven't let up on him. They did all that they could to see he was raised the way they wanted. And Nii-sama didn't want to dishonor his family, so he has always tried to work with them. He got very good at working around them, but this was beyond his means to control."

"Well," said Renji sadly, "I'm still sorry. No matter what you say, the truth of it is, I overstepped a boundary with him and because of that, he could have died. His powers are gone and when he wakes up, he has to cope with the fact that his life has pretty much been destroyed. I just never even imagined that happening to him."

"Me either," said Rukia, blinking away a fresh bout of tears, "Nii-sama has always been so strong. I can't imagine him staying like this. He's going to be devastated, Renji."

Renji sighed deeply and nodded in agreement. The two fell silent again and remained at the unconscious noble's side until the light outside the window began to fade and Tessai entered the room.

"You two should go and eat," he said, sitting down next to Byakuya, "I will stay with him."

"Go ahead," Renji told Rukia, "I'm not hungry. I'll stay here."

Tessai frowned and shook his head, but said nothing.

"I'll bring you something," Rukia said, kissing him on the cheek and turning to go, "You may as well come along with me, Tessai. Renji wouldn't be pried away with a crowbar. He is devoted to his captain."

Shaking his head again, Tessai followed Rukia out of the room.

Renji sat at the noble's side, watching as the sky darkened and the moon and stars appeared. It was beautiful to watch, but it made him feel sad inside to think that if things had been normal, Byakuya would have probably been going for his evening walk under those stars and that pretty moon. Instead, he was lying unconscious and facing the possibility that he would never be able to even return to the Seireitei…and he might not survive if the Kuchiki elders knew he had lived.

_I'm sorry, Byakuya. I've made a complete mess of things. All I ever wanted was to stand at your side as your equal…to feel worthy of your respect. At first, I wanted to beat you down, but that was before I really knew you. You're so much different than what I thought before…not at all what you seemed to be…But now, I've ruined everything. In wanting to conquer you, I destroyed the one I always held myself up to, to measure my worth. It's like I've lost all sense of both of us now. As powerful as I am, my power is useless because I can't figure out a way to restore you. But I will promise you this, Captain. I will protect you with my life…and I will not stop until you have your powers back and you beat the living hell out of each of those bastards who hurt you! You made me stronger than I ever thought I could be. Now, I'll use every bit of that strength on your behalf…until you are strong again._

He blinked away hot tears and looked out the window, trying to focus on the stars and what he knew about the constellations, anything to distract himself as he waited for the pale, quiet body to move, for his captain's lovely eyes to open and meet his…for Byakuya to say something.

_I wonder if you'll hate me for this…_

He lowered and closed his eyes, slipping a hand into the noble's and squeezing it gently. He was surprised to feel soft movement.

"Captain?" he whispered, studying the frowning lips and troubled face.

Byakuya moaned softly and moved restlessly.

"Easy Captain," Renji said softly, "Just rest, okay?"

Byakuya's eyes fluttered open and narrowed. He sat up quickly, looking around blankly.

"Where am I?" he asked in a trembling voice.

"You're at Kisuke's shop," Renji said, his voice catching as Byakuya turned his head to look at him.

He felt a chill inside at the lack of any hint of recognition or acknowledgement. A moment later, he realized that Byakuya couldn't sense him. Sighing sadly, he took out a gigai and slipped into it.

"There," he said, "You can see me now, right?"

Byakuya backed away from him, trying to gain his feet, but wobbling unsteadily and dropping back to his knees.

"Where did you come from?" he gasped.

"Captain…it's just a gigai. Look, I know you're a little confused, but don't worry. Kisuke said you're going to be all right, now. And I promise…we'll get your powers back. So just lie down, okay?"

"What are you talking about?" Byakuya said, frowning, "Who is Kisuke? Where is this place?"

"Captain?" Renji said uncertainly, "Captain…you…do know me, right?"

Byakuya stared at him in surprise.

"No…I've never seen you before. Who are you? And why did you bring me here? Tell me what's happening!"

"Y-you…you don't remember?" Renji asked, dumbfounded.

"No…I…I…"

The noble looked around the room, then back at Renji. He staggered to his feet and looked out the window, then caught sight of his face reflected in the mirror on the dresser. His eyes took on a desperate, confused look. Renji rose and carefully approached him, then stood, looking at their reflection in the mirror. Byakuya touched his own face, staring incomprehensibly.

"I don't remember…anything…" he whispered.


	3. Aratani Kasaki

**Chapter 3: Aratani Kasaki**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**All of the voices inside my head have faded, and the weight on my heart has disappeared. I stand in a brand new world...but I need you to fill it.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Byakuya looked around the room, then back at Renji. He staggered to his feet and looked out the window, then caught sight of his face reflected in the mirror on the dresser. His eyes took on a desperate, confused look. Renji rose and carefully approached him, then stood, looking at their reflection in the mirror. Byakuya touched his own face, staring incomprehensibly._

"_I don't remember…anything…" he whispered._

"Nothing?" Renji asked, "Not your name? Mine? Anything?"

"No…" said the noble, his voice shaking and his legs still unsteady.

He stared at his reflection intently, trying hard to remember. His chest began to heave in short, shuddering breaths and he swayed unsteadily.

"Whoa…it's okay," Renji said, setting an arm around the distressed noble and helping him sit back down on the bed, "It's probably just because you were badly hurt. Just try to relax and take some slower breaths, okay?"

Byakuya nodded and placed a hand on his abdomen, working to breathe more slowly.

"Look," Renji went on, releasing him, "I'm going to go and get Kisuke. Just…stay put. I promise, everything will be fine. You're safe here…"

"Wait! Don't leave," Byakuya objected, standing.

Renji gazed at him in surprise.

"But…I just want to bring Kisuke. You've known Yoruichi and Kisuke longer than me. Maybe you will remember them."

Byakuya shook his head.

"I'm telling you," he said quietly, "I remember nothing. I don't know my name…where I come from…or anything around me. When I woke, you acted as though I should know this place…that I should know you and this person, Kisuke. But none of that sounds the slightest bit familiar."

The door opened and Kisuke stepped into the room, followed by Rukia, Ichigo and Yoruichi.

"Hey, Renji," Kisuke began, "How is he…"

He broke off as the ones entering the room registered the sight of Byakuya, turning to look at them with widened eyes, then backing into Renji's embrace and paling.

"What…?" the noble whispered, "I don't know them…not any of them…"

He stared at them one by one, his breath shortening more and desperation rising in his eyes. Rukia stepped forward, looking into his eyes and registering the lack of recognition.

"Nii-sama?" she said uncertainly.

Byakuya stared back at her, trying desperately to make a connection, then sagged against Renji. Renji's hand found his and he kept the other arm wrapped around the noble, his brown eyes softening with sympathy.

"He doesn't remember anything, Kisuke," Renji said quietly, "Not himself, not any of us…nothing."

Kisuke nodded, looking concerned, but not completely surprised.

"I was worried that might be the case," he said, stepping closer to them.

Yoruichi, Ichigo and Rukia remained near the door as Kisuke approached Byakuya and studied him for a moment.

"He couldn't see you without your gigai, right?" he asked Renji.

"No, he couldn't," the redhead affirmed.

The shopkeeper sighed.

"Captain Kuchiki," he said to Byakuya, "I need to take a closer look at you. Is that all right with you?"

Byakuya furrowed his brow.

"Captain?" he mused, "Captain of what?"

"It's a military designation," Kisuke explained, "You are captain of the sixth division of the Gotei 13…the 13 Court Guard Squads. You are head of the Kuchiki noble household. Any of this sounding familiar?"

Byakuya thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Do you remember anything at all before waking up here?"

"No…"

Byakuya stood quietly as Kisuke approached him and touched a palm to his chest. A soft white light rose around the shopkeeper's palm and instantly, Byakuya's legs gave way. Renji caught him and lifted him back into bed. Byakuya fought his hands, his eyes flaring.

"What did you do to me?" he demanded, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Kisuke stepped back, his eyes apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Captain. It seems you're very sensitive to spiritual pressure. You may not sense it, but your body seems pretty intolerant of it."

"What are you talking about? What you're saying makes no sense!"

"No," said Kisuke sadly, "I guess it wouldn't."

"Kisuke," said Renji, "How do we help him remember?"

The shopkeeper sighed.

"You want the truth…I'd say he isn't going to remember."

"What?" said Renji, stunned.

"Remember what I said about what was done to him?" Kisuke explained, "The elders tore away the part of his soul that controlled his shinigami powers. All of his life experience and memories related to being a shinigami were taken with that."

"You…You're saying that…" Rukia stammered, "the elders took Nii-sama's memory?"

Kisuke nodded.

"I can't be sure without studying it further…but I think that the process of stealing his powers required the retaining of some of his essence of memory to be stored within the artifact to help control Senbonzakura. If they killed Byakuya outright, Senbonzakura would die too, but this method seems to retain enough of the soul to sustain the zanpakutou and to give additional reiatsu to the one who wears it. What I suspect is that the part that was left…his physical body and very basic…self…was cleaved away and left behind. And his cousin then tried to destroy what was left, which would have meant that the part stolen could not be recovered. But the part left behind could not have survived long anyway."

"Why not?" asked Renji.

"Because tearing the soul apart like that would leave each part too broken to survive. Whatever artifact they have, must somehow stabilize the torn soul and allow it to be used by the wearer. But there would have been nothing to stabilize what was left behind. Even if Satoshi hadn't given him the killing blow, he would have died quickly."

"Why didn't I die, then?" asked Byakuya.

Kisuke gestured briefly to Renji.

"Because your vice captain was so quick to bring you here…and because of Orihime's reject power. When you arrived, I put you in a state of suspended animation to halt your decline. Then, Orihime healed you by rejecting the damage to your body and torn soul. Because of the process used to tear away the other part of your soul, the reject power couldn't make your soul whole again…so instead, it merely completed your soul in the only way it could in the absence of that part of your soul. Instead of leaving you with an incomplete shinigami soul…it left you a completed human soul. That's why you can still walk, talk and reason normally, but you remember nothing. There's nothing there for you to remember. That's part of what was taken…and the only way to get it back is to get our hands on that artifact…whatever it might be."

"But I never saw what it was," objected Renji, "How do we even know what we're looking for?"

"We don't," said Kisuke, "Like I said before, we have to wait until the elders choose their leader and then try to figure that out."

He turned to Yoruichi.

"I think we need to have them watched…and that kind of work is right up your alley, ne?"

Yoruichi nodded.

"I'll leave right away."

"Okay," said Kisuke, "and in the meantime, we need to get Byakuya, Renji and Rukia somewhere safe. Ichigo, and I will keep them guarded at one of the safehouses until we know more. Now, I think we should let Byakuya rest. We'll leave for the safehouse after dark…just to be safest. I don't think we're being watched, but if Satoshi knew Byakuya survived, he would know to look here first."

He led the others out the door and left Byakuya and Renji alone again. The noble leaned back against the pillows, absorbing everything that had been said. Renji sat next to him, gazing at him sympathetically."

"It's a hell of a lot to take in," he acknowledged.

Byakuya nodded.

"But I do think I'm starting to understand, even not remembering. So…the elders of my family attacked me and tore away the part of me that remembers being a shinigami…but, Renji, why? If I was their leader, then why did they do that?"

Renji sighed and looked down at the noble's hands where they rested on the blankets.

"It's my fault," he confessed in a soft voice, "They did it because of me."

XXXXXXXXXX

Satoshi laid calmly on a bed that had been brought into the council chambers and placed in the center of the room. He touched the moonstone pendant at his throat and smiled. The moonstone and one of the twelve small star sapphires already glowed softly with power. And soon, he thought, the entire pendant would glow with life and power. Because he was the one among them who knew the truth about the artifact. He had carefully studied it, going over its mystical history, chasing down its origins and finding out the hidden truth that none of the others understood. But, he thought, by the time they realized it…it would be too late.

But theirs would be a worthy sacrifice…

The Kuchiki clan would no longer have to negotiate and fight to maintain its position among the noble clans. With the full power of the moonstone pendant he wore, his powers would exceed anyones…

"Yes," he whispered to himself, "but you are hungry…starving for completion."

He looked around him at the eleven other elders who knelt around him, their power concentrated on filling the moonstone with the last of the power they had stolen from their former leader. He waited until they finished and returned to their seats, then he sat up and slowly came to his feet. Smiling, he drew the slender blade that rested behind his own at his hip. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes.

"Senbonzakura…" he called softly.

There was a momentary hesitation, and then the blade glowed softly and the masked samurai, slowly manifested in front of him. Senbonzakura gazed at him calmly.

"Master," he said quietly.

"Show us your power," Satoshi ordered him, "Enclose us."

The other councilors watched with widened eyes as the pink petal blades rose and thickened around them, closing them off from the outside world.

"It worked!" exclaimed one of the other elders, whose words were followed with other pleased exclamations.

Satoshi smiled.

"I am now ready to show you the full beauty and power of the Aratani Kisaki…the legendary "Empress Stone," once said to have been worn by the original incarnation of the spirit king's consort. I will reveal to you the promise that our family will stand forever above the other clans…and be the prize jewel among them."

The other councilors stared as Satoshi touched his fingers to the pendant and a white light rose around him.

"Consume…Aratani Kisaki…" he said softly.

The reiatsu in the room swelled and the other councilors caught their breath, staring in surprise as the power coming from the pendant strengthened and the spiritual pressure around them rose until it became nearly unbearable. Cries of dismay began to sound throughout the room.

Satoshi's smile widened.

"There is no escape now…" he told them, "You will each now join with me to complete the stone's activation. Have no fear, you will not be destroyed as Byakuya was. This joining will strengthen us and make us powerful enough to stand against anyone…and anything…even the spirit king, himself."

"What are you doing?" cried one of the councilors, "Satoshi…this isn't what you said it would do!"

"No," he said calmly, "You were far too short-sighted to be able to stand at the top with me…and rather than fight you, I will consume your power and make it mine as well."

The other councilors drew their weapons, attacking the sphere of petal blades that surrounded them. Screams rose up as the reiatsu exploded around them, driving them to their knees and shattering their zanpakutous.

"Satoshi! Satoshi…stop!"

One by one, the kneeling councilors' bodies flared white and disappeared. As they disappeared, the sounds of their screams died away and the reiatsu in the room slowly faded. As it fell away, Satoshi was left standing alone in the center of the council chambers, gazing down at the glowing moonstone and the twelve fully lit star sapphires around it. His triumphant laughter began softly, then rose until it echoed in the suddenly quiet chambers. The swirling petal blades around him glowed softly, then fluttered to the ground.

"Now…" he said quietly, "No one will oppose me."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yoruichi shifted to her feline form and passed over into the Seireitei, then quickly ran in the direction of the Kuchiki council hall. She covered the distance at flash step speed and soon was vaulting up a tree and onto the roof of the building. She ran along the edge, dropping down onto a balcony and slipping in through an open door. She remained in the shadows, working her way towards the central chamber, but turning off and slipping into a set of offices on one side. She entered one of the offices and moved close to a vent, listening.

All seemed quiet…

She shifted to shinigami form and carefully removed the vent cover, then changed back to cat form and crawled into the vent, making her way along the twists and turns as she had many times in her younger days to listen in on the council. She found her favorite listening spot and settled down next to it.

"Consume…Aratani Kisaki," a soft, male voice said.

Yoruichi's eyes widened.

"Aratani…Kisaki?" she breathed.

She flinched as a pink petal blade fluttered through the vent and cut into her fur.

"Senbonzakura…" she whispered, hearing screams rising in the council chambers.

She was prevented from any further speculation as a swell of petals shot into the vent where she was concealed. She regained her feet and ran back along the path she had followed before, heading back for the empty office. Behind her, the petal blades roared through the vent shaft, following her. The feline looked back in dismay and ran faster. She took the corners heedlessly as the walls around her began to glow. She entered the last length of venting and tore down its length as the petals began to sting her back and legs.

Then everything around her seemed to disappear into blinding pink light.


	4. Defining Moments

**Chapter 4: Defining Moments**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**You and I are defined by no one. Who we are is in the way we live and breathe. And even in the torrent that swells around us, our hands will always find each other and calmly anchor us as we grow and evolve…**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"_So…the elders of my family attacked me and tore away the part of me that remembers being a shinigami…but, Renji, why? If I was their leader, then why did they do that?"_

_Renji sighed and looked down at the noble's hands where they rested on the blankets._

_"It's my fault," he confessed in a soft voice, "They did it because of me."_

"Because of you?" Byakuya queried, "And what could you have done to make them loose such venom on me?"

Renji sighed and lowered his eyes.

"It's…complicated. I don't know…how to…explain."

The dark eyes met his with surprising perceptiveness.

"Are you from a rival noble clan? Did you best me in battle?" he asked.

Renji's eyes widened in surprise.

"H-how did you…?"

Then he looked down at his disheveled uniform as Byakuya gave him an unexpected smile.

"Judging by your appearance, I would say that we did battle prior to the actions taken by my noble cousins. What I don't understand is why…if you are my vice captain, we would have been fighting. Or if we had been trying to kill each other…then why you would concern yourself so greatly with my welfare. Truly, you are a confusing person, Renji."

Renji smiled back at him.

"Not really, Captain. M-maybe I should explain."

"Very well," Byakuya said, nodding, "But you shouldn't call me your captain. In my current state, I likely bear little resemblance to the person you remember."

"What are you talking about?" Renji asked, his eyes softening, "You think it matters to me that you're human now? That it changes one bit, who you are to me? Because it doesn't. You are still my captain. You've just been hurt…and it's my job to protect you until you are well again."

Byakuya took a steadying breath and studied Renji carefully. The dark eyes bored into Renji's brown ones and the redhead sensed that the noble was mulling something over in his mind.

"We battled each other…but you do not have a desire to see me die. Yet something you did caused my noble cousins to turn on me and try to destroy me. If it is not that you are of a rival clan and bested me in battle, I can think of little you could have done to rile them so…but…I have a suspicion…"

Renji froze as Byakuya's hand cupped his cheek, coaxing him closer as he leaned forward and brought their lips together. The noble watched the redhead closely as they kissed, observing the initial reticence, the clenching of his hands, widening of his eyes, but also the fact that he did not resist. Byakuya released him and sat back against the pillows, considering.

"You are…not noble, then?" he asked softly.

Renji gave him a crooked grin and laughed.

"Captain, I'm about as 'not noble' as you can get!"

Comprehension lit the dark gray eyes and he bit softly at his lip, gazing at Renji.

"So…how did we end up fighting?" he asked, "because I sense no desire in you to kill me or to see harm come to me. To the contrary, you seem more protective."

"It's kind of a long story," Renji said, rising and sitting down on the edge of the bed, looking out the window.

Byakuya gave him a tolerant look.

"Well…as you can see, I have little else to do…so please…continue."

"I guess it starts with your late wife, Hisana and her younger sister…and my best friend, Rukia. The three of us grew up in a poor area of the Rukongai."

"Rukongai?"

"It's where the commoners live in Soul Society, where we come from. The shinigamis live in an area called Seireitei. And the Seireitei is home to the Gotei 13, which protects the king…and the noble houses, which serve the king as well. Anyway, you grew up in the greatest of the noble houses, the Kuchiki clan…and you joined the Gotei 13 on your way to becoming a captain. But before you achieved that ranking, you were given a mission to Inuzuri in the Rukongai…and somehow you were injured. You were found and cared for by a woman named Hisana…and the two of you fell in love, despite your family's rule that nobles were not allowed to mix with commoners. You were married to her in defiance of their rules for five years. She fell ill and as she lay dying, she asked you to find and protect her younger sister, who she had abandoned as a baby because she could not care for her. You found Rukia a year later at the shinigami academy, training to join the Gotei 13. The day you came to ask her to allow your family to adopt her was the day you and I first laid eyes on each other. You walked past me and I was nearly frozen by the level of power you radiated. I don't know if you even noticed me…but I sure noticed you…"

"Do not tell me that it was love at first sight…"

"No," smiled Renji, "not even close."

The redhead's eyes hazed over slightly as he remembered.

"I hated you for taking Rukia away. She and I grew up in Inuzuri together…we were really close. And because she joined your family, she and I didn't even speak to each other for forty years until I became your vice captain and was considered worthy of the privilege."

"I begin to see how we end up battling," Byakuya commented, "but I'm still not clear on how we ended up being so enamored of each other that we would incite such wickedness in my family by…having a…relationship."

"Well…I'll get to that…but it wasn't our affection for each other that set things off."

"No?" the noble queried.

"Rukia got into trouble when a shinigami named Sousuke Aizen set her up to be arrested and charged with capital crimes. As a member of the noble Kuchiki family, you felt it was your duty to allow her execution when she was convicted."

"I let my own sister be sentenced to death?" Byakuya mused.

"You thought that as one who was supposed to set an example for others, you had to uphold the laws and allow the execution to proceed."

"Which, I imagine, stoked your ire?"

Renji nodded.

"We fought and you defeated me. But shortly after, the guy you saw with Kisuke…Ichigo…defeated you and you agreed not to pursue Rukia when he freed her. But Aizen showed up and revealed his manipulations…then ordered one of his goons to kill Rukia. Your sword had been broken and your reiatsu was depleted from battle, but you flash stepped in out of nowhere and took the hit for her. And after that…I couldn't hate you. I really started to respect you. I still wanted to defeat you…but now so that I would stand on equal ground with you. And as I trained with you, I fell in love with you…and eventually, I could see that you returned that feeling. For the longest time, I waited for you to say or do something…but…I didn't realize it…the reason you didn't was because you knew the elders would sense it…and after you defied the noble rules twice by marrying Hisana and by adopting Rukia, the Kuchiki elders made you swear a vow to obey the laws of the clan…or…they would…do _this_ to you."

"So…at some point, I confessed my love to you?" Byakuya asked.

"Well…it was yesterday. You see, you and I would meet in the training grounds once a month and do battle…no holds barred, no protections. And yesterday…for the first time, I was able to defeat you. I was healing your injuries…and…I guess because I finally felt worthy of being with you…I…kissed you…and then…I…well…"

"I assume that whatever happened after that kiss was…consensual," Byakuya said matter-of-factly, "I don't think you seem the type who would force himself on anyone, let alone one reeling from recent injury…"

Renji let out a frustrated breath.

"Well…I guess…I didn't force you…but, Captain…"

"Bya," said the noble.

"Huh?" said Renji, blinking.

"I said, call me Bya."

"B-bya?" stammered the redhead, stunned at the suggestion that he use such informality.

"Renji…I am not the captain you remember…and apparently, we exchanged physical pleasantries only yesterday. I can hardly have you hold to such formality with me at this point."

"B-but I…called you Captain while we were making love…"

"I must have been too much in the moment to object…so I'll object now."

Renji stared at him in surprise.

"Are you…sure you're Byakuya Kuchiki?" he asked.

The sound he heard next was as beautiful as it was unexpected. Renji stared harder at the sight and sound of the normally stoic noble laughing.

"Renji…I'm sure of nothing at this moment. Remember, my awareness extends from the moment I woke. I have to take your word for everything else. Well…except for what I felt when I kissed you. Whatever happened between us after our training battle…I know it was by mutual agreement, no matter how I resisted the urge to give in to you. So please…do not torment yourself over it any longer. Yes…my life has been completely disrupted…and I have no idea what will happen…but…I think that with you at my side, I will weather whatever comes much better than without you. We should focus on the important things…keeping each other safe and alive…enjoying the time we have together…and…perhaps exploring what we feel for each other…if you are still interested in me, despite my current, weakened state. Perhaps you may have lost interest…"

"Wh-what? Cap…Bya…no! Hell no! Look…I didn't fall in love with you because you were powerful. Sure…it was part of you. But it wasn't everything."

"But you said, yourself that you were driven by a desire to surpass me…to be able to defeat me in battle. You would barely have to lift a finger to do that now…"

"That doesn't matter…really, it doesn't. I look at you the way you are now, and I don't see anything that makes me love you less. If anything, I love you more. I'm seeing and hearing things from you that I never have, Bya. I've never…in all this time…really heard you laugh. And even though our situation is pretty dire…to hear you laugh like that…Bya…that's just…beautiful."

He smiled at the blush that rose on the noble's cheeks at his words. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to Byakuya's again, closing his eyes and sighing happily. The noble met his mouth eagerly, nipping his lips and thrusting his tongue inside, exploring the depths with soft, questing touches and eliciting a contented moan from Renji. Their kissing intensified and Renji brought his body down on top of Byakuya's and thrust against him hungrily.

"Why are you looking at me…like that?" Renji asked, attacking the noble's pale throat with open mouthed kisses and pulling at the tie on his yukata.

Byakuya's eyes darkened with building passion and his lips curved into a sweltering smile.

"Your tattoos…are rather hypnotic…may I?" he asked.

Renji nodded and sank into his mouth again, slowly removing their clothes as the noble traced the intricate black markings with curious eyes and clam, searching fingertips. The redhead felt a sharp twinge of arousal at the noble's touch and tightened his tanned body against the noble's paler one, returning to his mouth for another bout of intense kisses. Byakuya's eyes locked on his and lit with sudden recognition. Renji caught his breath in surprise.

"Y-you…remember something?" he asked, panting for breath.

Byakuya shook his head.

"Not in the way you are thinking…my mind is still a blank about many things…but…my body remembers you. It remembers how you made it feel…and longs to feel that way again…I think…"

Renji smiled.

Are you…sure?" he asked, nuzzling beneath the noble's chin and kissing his way up the pale throat and nipping at a soft earlobe, "I mean…last time…you got into trouble with…"

He sat up quickly, nearly causing them to tumble out of the bed. Byakuya wrapped an arm around him to steady him.  
"Bya…what if the elders…sense this…us doing…this?"

"Do not worry, Renji," the noble chided him, "I have no powers…no reiatsu. I won't be detected by them."

"Ah…" sighed Renji, falling back into his arms and loosing another hot torrent of kisses on Byakuya's mouth and throat, "That's right…"

"It's only the two of us now," Byakuya whispered against his lips, then warmly claimed his mouth again, "And there is nothing to make us hold back anymore…"

He turned suddenly and pushed a surprised Renji down onto his back, launching another, more thorough exploration of the redhead's tattoos with brushings of his lips and soft, wet strokes with his tongue. Renji stared at the sweet, contented expression and the dark, curious eyes that looked up to meet his, peeking out from beneath a fall of raven black strands as the noble worked his way slowly down the redhead's naked flesh. He sank his tongue into Renji's navel, sucking deeply and making him moan and push his hips upward. He moved down further, following the fine red hairs down his lower abdomen and kissing his way downward, pleasuring him shamelessly until Renji could stand no more and impetuously toppled him.

Renji trapped the noble's body beneath his again and crawled slowly down its lovely length, returning, stroke for stroke, the loving attention Byakuya had given him. He lifted his body away, then spread his thighs and settled down onto the noble's thick arousal, taking him inside in short, unhurried thrusts. He looked down into the dark, smoky eyes and straightened himself. Byakuya's hands slid down and settled on his hips as Renji began a slow, rhythmic dance atop him, making the noble's eyes glaze over and his words fade into incomprehensible gasps of deep contentment. He continued the stunningly intense motion until Byakuya's eyes blackened with arousal and heat exploded inside the redhead as the noble's pleasure peaked. He slowed the movement of his hips, watching the heaving of Byakuya's chest and smiling as the pulses of heat seared his insides. Finally, he pulled away and parted the dazed noble's thighs and sank into his body, thrusting into him as he laced their fingers together and breathed heatedly against the noble's damp throat. Byakuya's hands slid down his back and wrapped around his bottom, coaxing him into faster, deeper thrusts until he gave a sharp, heaving gasp and released into the noble's seething core. His body shook with intense pleasure and his head swam as he collapsed into Byakuya's arms and stopped moving.

"Oh…kami, that was…amazing…" he whispered, "I've never felt anything that good, Bya!"

Byakuya laughed.

"I would say the same, he panted softly, "but I really wouldn't know if that would be the truth…having lost my memory…"

"Well…" said Renji breathlessly, "Then, when I can move again, I'll have to give you something to compare it to!"


	5. The Haven

**Chapter 5: The Haven**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**One morning, I woke to find that reality had fallen away, and all that was left of my past was you. And finally, with the noise of all else muted, was I able to hear the words you whispered to me…and to return them with all of my heart.**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"My apologies, Renji," said Bya, resting his head on the redhead's shoulder as Renji carried him into the safe house, then set him on his feet again in the entry, "I think I am weak, even for a human, right now. Perhaps I should be glad I do not remember being your captain. It spares me the embarrassment, ne?"

"Don't beat up on yourself about it," Kisuke said bracingly, "After what you've been through, it's a damned miracle you are even on your feet at all. Speaking of which, you should really go and take advantage of the bed in the master bedroom."

"I'll make some tea for us and join you in a minute," Renji added.

"Ichigo and I will go and keep watch together," offered Rukia.

"I'll come with you and we can talk about how we'll share guard duties," Kisuke said, following them out the door.

Byakuya walked slowly across the living area and into the hallway, his mind replaying what he had learned on the way there.

_I was captain of the sixth division and the 28__th__ head of the Kuchiki noble clan. I am sure no one would mistake me for either of those now…_

He found his way to the master bedroom and walked inside, then closed the door and looked around. A walk-in closet stood open and he spotted several yukatas and kimonos on hangers. He chose a dark, glossy blue yukata and walked into the bathroom. He undressed slowly, looking into the mirror and studying himself quietly

I think it is best not to dwell too much on who I was. From what I can tell from the way the others speak about me, my noble life placed careful limits on my behavior. Now bereft of my shinigami body and powers, my captain's haori and clan leadership, I am also relieved of the weight of those things. Perhaps while I remain this way…

The thought dangled, unfinished, as he stepped into the shower. Hot water splashed onto his skin, and he closed his eyes and focused on the comfort it brought. The steamy air made him sleepy and gave a surreal feel to the air around him. And removed from the familiar, Bya smiled and let himself become entranced by it. His smile widened as the bathroom door creaked softly and a now familiar step sounded outside the shower.

"Would you mind some company?" Renji asked, peeking in at him.

Byakuya opened an eye and let it roam over the redhead's lovely, tattooed body.

"Come," he said, nodding, "Join me."

"I uh, don't have to…if you want to be alone for a bit. I'm kind of always hanging around you. You must be tired of that."

Bya smirked.

"Renji Abarai, I don't believe that I would _ever_ become weary of seeing you…especially naked."

He laughed as Renji had to stoop to pick his jaw up off the floor.

"What's wrong?" the noble asked, closing his eyes again, "I _must_ have thought such a thing before. I can't imagine I would have missed how attractive you are."

"Y-yeah?" Renji chuckled unsteadily, "You may have thought it, but you sure as hell never _said_ anything like that to me before! I feel like you just hit me with a kido blast!"

Byakuya slipped his arms around the redhead and kissed him hungrily.

"I…say what I want to now," Bya managed between heavy kisses, "And I _do_ what I want to. It may only be for a while, but…I…"

He broke off, inhaling sharply as Renji forced him back against the wall and attacked his mouth harder, thrusting his tongue inside and probing deeply. His hands slid down Bya's water-slicked body, teasing his sensitive areas, running down over his abdominals, dipping into his navel, then sliding down further and stroking his awakening privates. He pressed closer, curving his hands around the noble's pretty, white bottom and rubbing their wet bodies together.

"Mmmm, Renji!" Bya moaned against the redhead's lips, "I love the way it feels when you touch me like that! Oh…oh gods, I think…I think, oh I can't think. Renji?"

"Hmmm?" the redhead sighed softly into the noble's mouth.

"I must have been a fool to have waited so long to be with you like this," Bya said, closing his eyes and rubbing harder against Renji's swollen member.

Renji chuckled softly.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, smiling, "Maybe it was the threat of death that held you back. I don't know about you, but I always balk a little at getting people killing mad at me? But maybe that's just me, ne?"

He loved the feel of Bya stifling a laugh against his shoulder. He slipped a hand under the noble's chin, raising the wide, gray eyes to meet his. But looking into Bya's affectionate eyes and happy expression reminded him how vulnerable the noble was.

And it's my fault…

_It's because I caved in and took advantage of him in a moment of weakness._

_I wonder why he doesn't hate me._

_Would he hate me if he actually remembered what he lost because of me?_

"Renji?" Bya said softly, touching his face, "Renji, what's wrong?"

Renji swallowed hard and wrapped his arms tightly around Bya.

"I'm going to take care of you," he said, closing his eyes against the sudden tears that burned in them, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. It's my fault that all of this happened, Bya. It's my fault that you're like this…that you lost your memory and powers and became…_human_…"

He froze at the stunned look that erupted onto Bya's face at his words.

"Renji," Bya said breathlessly, "Do you…think less of me…because I'm human?"

Renji's eyes widened in realization and he took the noble's face in both hands and kissed away the words.

"Mmm, no…kami no!" he said firmly, "Bya, I didn't mean it that way, really I didn't! I love everything about you. I have for a really long time. I wish I could have told you that sooner, but I never felt like I was good enough for you."

"But now that I'm human…?"

"No," said Renji, shaking his head, "I told you my feelings before you even became human. I told you. I've been crazy about you for a really long time! I just couldn't tell you until then because I wanted to be stronger, more powerful, so I would feel worthy of you."

"But don't you understand," Bya said, pulling away, "Now _I'm_ not worthy of you. I'm weak…and powerless. It would be easy for them to kill me if they knew I survived."

Renji sighed and bit at his lip.

"Bya, listen to me. You may not have your powers right now, but it doesn't change who you are. You are still my captain, the person I've looked up to and wanted to be like ever since I met you! You've just been hurt, and I'm going to make sure that you get well again."

"But how can you look at me like this and still love me? Doesn't it bother you that I'm…Renji, I couldn't even stay on my feet on the way to the safe house. I collapsed and you had to carry me!"

"Because that's what you do when you love someone, Bya. You don't stop loving them in their weak moments. You help them get up, dust themselves off and get strong again."

"But," Bya said, looking into the redhead's eyes worriedly, "Renji, what if I never get my powers back? What if…this…is all I ever am? Would you still be able to love me then?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Renji said, shaking his head, "Of course I'm going to love you, no matter what! Because no matter what they stole from you, I know who you are…and I'm not going to forget it, whether we are successful in restoring you or not!"

He gazed into the noble's widened eyes as he kissed him gently on the lips.

"You told me something…after Aizen left, when we were in the healing center," Renji went on, as Bya continued to stare at him questioningly, "You said that my quest to become stronger didn't end when I lost to you. You said that if our blades continued to cross, I would gain the strength I needed to protect the ones I love. _You_ told me that, Bya! And then, after that day, you trained with me constantly…and every time I fell at you told me that I was one step closer to touching the moon. And that if I never stopped reaching, I would get there. And you were right. In the end, I got to be strong enough. It was all because of _you_, Bya! I couldn't have gotten there without you."

He took Bya's face in his hands and kissed him harder.

"And now there is someone _I_ want to protect again. And I _will _be strong enough to do that, because of what I learned from you. I owe everything to you, and I am _never_ going to forget that!"

Bya blinked and looked away, tears burning in his eyes.

"You are wrong about something, Renji," he said softly.

"What?" said the redhead, taking hold of his chin and making their eyes meet again, "What am I wrong about?"

"You don't owe me. You didn't become stronger because of me."

"Wha…? How do you know that? You don't even remember."

"I don't have to," Bya whispered, a tear leaking onto his face, "I know instinctively. Renji, your strength was always inside you…always. I was not responsible for helping you find it. I was only lucky enough to be the catalyst that made you fight for it. You would have found it, sooner or later on your own. You didn't need me…and you don't have to feel obligated to help me now. In any case, I have no strength in me…"

"Stop," said Renji, halting his objections with a kiss, "First of all, it wasn't luck, or anything like it that brought us together. It was fate, Bya. We were meant to meet, and you were meant to be the one to help me find my strength. And your strength may not be inside you right now, but it hasn't ceased to exist. Your powers and your connection with your zanpakutou have only been stolen. And we are going to get your powers back."

"You mean…you are," Byakuya said, looking down, "Kisuke did tell us that if I show my face in the Seireitei, the elders will kill me immediately. I have no defenses, Renji…no powers to fight with…nothing. I would be a useless burden, and would only endanger the ones going to fight the elders. And you know that if I get too close to my zanpakutou, he would sense me and reveal us to the enemy. Tactically speaking, the best place for me is here, where I can be kept out of the way."

"Stop it, will you?" said Renji wrapping his arms around the noble, "We aren't ready to make those decisions yet, so why don't you at least wait until we are before you start beating up on yourself, okay? We have some time now…some time we can use to rest and build our strength for what's coming. Just…shut up and kiss me some more, okay? I waited a long, long time for you to kiss me, Bya. So I want to get in as many kisses as I can before we have to go back and face all of this."

Bya met his eyes and smiled fleetingly.

"Hmmm," he said, sinking into a deep, wet kiss, "I do…hope…that you want…more than just kisses…Renji."

Renji grinned and pressed forward, trapping the noble's body against the wall. He slid a hand down Bya's straight back, over his round bottom and down the back of a slender thigh. Taking hold, he lifted one of the noble's legs and wrapped it around his waist. He slipped a hand down between them and positioned himself at Bya's entrance, then met the noble's eyes warmly.

"Does this answer your question, Bya?" Renji breathed, pushing slowly inside him.

Bya made a soft sound of surrender and buried his face in Renji's throat and shoulder, moaning and closing his eyes as Renji's strong hips thrust into him. He held on tightly to the redhead's muscular shoulders, breathing in his warm, masculine scent and moving his hips in response. His lips found Renji's earlobe as the flames of pleasure began to overtake them.

"Arigato, Renji," he whispered, "I shouldn't have let myself despair. I should have known that if I weakened, I could trust you to be there to fill me with your strength. Because…that's what you do…for someone you love. So I won't lose hope. I am going to believe that I will regain my powers and memory…and I will be there to do the same for you!"

He lost the ability to speak and his hands clenched as his body stiffened and shuddered, and hot pulses of his release erupted onto their skin. He lifted his head off of the redhead's shoulder to watch as Renji's eyes glazed over and he thrust in deeply, filling the noble's captured body with his seed. And unexpectedly, Renji's reiatsu flared brightly around them, lighting both of their bodies and sending a hard shock through the noble.

Bya cried out in distress as the power surged around them.

"What the hell is happening?" Renji cried, trying to rein in the errant power as it wrapped around Bya and was swallowed up by his body.

"What?" Bya gasped, "What…happened?"

Then his eyes blinked and closed and the noble began to fall.

XXXXXXXXXX

"All right," said Kisuke to Ichigo and Rukia, "We will continually keep two people on duty and allow the third to rest. When Yoruichi returns, Tessai and the kids will come to help with the guard duty and Yoruichi and I will get together to build a strategy. I'm going to hope that she has learned something useful, or we are going to be in a lot of trouble. We can't make a move of any kind until we know what and where that artifact is. We have to focus our efforts on obtaining that information, while also keeping Byakuya safe from the elders."

His eyes scanned the area around them.

"I want you to take the first watch. I am going back to Karakura Town to see if word has come from Yoruichi."

"Do you sense something? Do you think that she ran into trouble?" asked Rukia.

"Well," said Kisuke, "She had a very specific reason for going there. And as much as I know her abilities, I can't say how long exactly, it should take for her to get what we need and to return. But there is one disturbing thing. I sensed a large exchange of reiatsu somewhere in the Seireitei. It was big, and it was sudden, like an explosion. And it makes me anxious."

"Go then," said Ichigo, "Rukia and I will keep watch here until you come back."

Kisuke nodded.

"Thank you. I will come back as quickly as I can. You three need to be very sure that nothing reaches Byakuya while I'm gone."

"We will," Rukia promised.

Kisuke turned and started to flash step away, but was halted in his tracks by a sudden explosion of power that lit the windows of the safe house and made the ground shake all around them.

"Damn!" exclaimed Ichigo, "Kisuke, what was that?"

Kisuke didn't answer, but flash stepped immediately back in the direction of the cottage, with Ichigo and Rukia on his heels.

They raced back into the house and down the hallway to the master bedroom. They threw the door open and found Renji, dressed in a yukata and leaning over a likewise dressed Bya on the bed.

"Kisuke!" cried Renji, "You have to do something!"

"What is it?" asked the shopkeeper, "What happened?"

"We…we were in the shower," Renji said, a dark flush rising on his skin, "We were making love…and my reiatsu went out of control and went into him. I don't know how else to describe it! It shocked him. It knocked him out…and he stopped breathing. Kisuke…Kisuke, you have to help him!"

Kisuke's eyes narrowed and he stared down at Byakuya's collapsed form.

"Kisuke, please!" yelled Renji, "Kisuke!"


	6. In the Small Details

**Chapter 6: In the Small Details**

**(Thanks to The Animal Monster for requesting!)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**It is always there, hidden in the small details...that look in your eye, the touch of your hand, the light brushing of your lips against mine. What a gift to feel treasured, protected...loved. Your love is everything to me. And now, it is happily returned.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Holy hell, that was close," Kisuke sighed, running a hand down the side of Byakuya's face, "That damned near killed him. But hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, ne Byakuya?"

"Would you please tell me what the fuck is going on?" pleaded Renji, "One second we were having sex and the next he was dying in my arms! What's wrong with him? Is he going to be okay?"

"Y-yeah," said Kisuke, "I think we can manage this."

"What? Manage what? What are you talking about? What's wrong with him!"

"Well," said Kisuke, "Yoruichi would be a better person to explain this than me, given that she is also noble, but since she's not here, I'll do my best."

"O-okay," said the redhead, sitting down on the bed and taking the unconscious man's hand, "Shoot."

"All right," sighed Kisuke, "Here's what seems to have happened. Ah...Byakuya is a noble...a strong one."

"Yeah?" Renji said, frowning, "So?"

"Well, some of the stronger nobles have been...eh...altered a little in the way they are built."

"A-altered?" stammered Renji, "How?"

"Eh...well, they sort of have a special ability. You see, the clans know that when these stronger shinigami boys grow up, they're likely to be a little hard to...guide. And with the ones like Byakuya, the clan probably wanted to be sure that no matter whether he had a liking for the ladies or feelings for fellows, that either way, the stork would eventually come calling..."

"Hey..." growled Renji, "You wanna tell me what the _fuck_ you're trying to say? Because I'm listening to your words, but you aren't making a damned bit of sense!"

"S-sorry."

"Alterations? Storks? Will you please just get to the damned point?" snapped the redhead, "What is wrong with Byakuya now?"

"Okay, you want me to make it short and simple?" asked the shopkeeper, smiling.

"That would be a relief," muttered Renji, "_Please_!"

"All right, short and simple. Here goes."

His smile widened.

"Congratulations, Renji. You are going to be a daddy!"

Renji stared at Kisuke with a blank look that completely lacked comprehension. His brow furrowed in confusion and he blinked.

"I...what?"

The shopkeeper laid a hand on the noble's trim abdomen.

"You see, what those elders did was..."

"The elders?" Renji mused, "The same ones that tried to murder him in cold blood when he went to bed with me? Why am I _not_ surprised? Go on."

"They wanted to be sure that Byakuya reproduced. So, in case he fell for a guy instead of a gal, they placed a special device (don't have the slightest idea what it's called, but that doesn't really matter) inside his pretty little noble belly. Now, it sat there, doing nothing while he grew up and got married to Hisana. It wouldn't have been needed at all if she given him a kid. But she didn't, so this thing inside him was in hibernation for all of this time. Then...you came along. And you and Byakuya had your little practice fight, which you finally won. So...you did your little happy dance, got yourself a piece of the Kuchiki and this device said, "Whoa! Hey! There's some shinigami guy reiatsu and, oh look! Some nice genetic material too!" and it collected the reiatsu and...other stuff and held it inside this chamber. Long story short? He's peachy...knocked up...with child."

He stifled a laugh as Renji's red-brown eyes nearly crossed.

"B-bya is...?"

"Yeah," Kisuke said, grinning.

"He's...?"

"The word...is _pregnant_," Kisuke announced proudly.

"Wh-what?" said Rukia and Ichigo, from where they stood by the bedroom door.

"Pregnant..." Renji said dazedly, "Bya...is...pregnant."

Renji froze and realization cracked across his face like a bolt of lightning.

"_PREGNANT_?" he shouted, "I got Byakuya Kuchiki pregnant? Do you _know_ how fucking _dead_ I am? He's going to _kill _me! And if I live through that, his freaking elders are going to kill me twice!"

"Well, hey," said Kisuke, chuckling, "at least you didn't kill him with that little bolt of love juice you shot him with, ne? Though the reiatsu shot you gave him with it almost did him in. And your timing's good too. With him not remembering who the heck he really is and how much he would kill you normally, you have a good, sporting chance of getting through this pregnancy without him killing you for it."

"What the hell is _wrong_ with those old perverts anyway?" the redhead cried, "sticking voodoo chambers in a guy's body? Ripping apart their leader's soul and shoving part of it into some...some..."

"Take it easy, Renji," said Kisuke, "You are going to need to take a few breaths, because not all the news I have for you is all that good."

"Impregnating my boss, and the leader...?"

"Former leader," Kisuke corrected him.

"..._former_ leader of the Kuchiki clan...good? I mean, I think our kid will be cute and all...d-damned cute, if it looks like him. No...pretty..."

"Um," said Rukia, shaking her head, "I think Renji has left us."

"Shit, shit, shit, I am so dead," Renji babbled on, "If he doesn't kill me, then his relatives will kill both of us. And all of this is my fault. I just couldn't shut up and accept the goddamned victory. No, I had to fuck my boss. Yeah, he's beautiful and I have been crazy in love with him forever, but you don't just go and fuck your captain...especially if he's the leader of the fucking Ku..."

"It's going to be okay, Renji," Kisuke assured him, patting him on the shoulder, "We'll be with the two of you all of the way."

"But...you said there was something else."

"Yeah," said the shopkeeper, "There is, I'm afraid."

"Well?" said the redhead, impatiently, "Though I don't know if I dare to ask...what is it?"

Kisuke sighed.

"The best way I can explain it is...you know how when Byakuya's soul was torn, his spirit centers shut down, right?"

"R-right," Renji agreed cautiously.

"Okay, usually, it looks like this reiatsu chamber is hardwired to those spirit centers, so that the mom's...erm...so that _Byakuya's_ body, in this case, could feed the child's physical and reiatsu needs."

"Mhmmm?"

"The problem is, there's nothing flowing through his spirit centers...nothing...no way...nada! So, the reiatsu is not being 'fed.'"

"That sounds bad," said Renji.

"It is," said Kisuke, nodding, "But...if _you_ feed the reiatsu cluster with _your_ reiatsu, it should maintain its stability and develop into a healthy baby."

"But?" Renji said guardedly, "What's wrong? I can tell something is wrong."

"Thing is...Byakuya can't give birth to this child in his human body."

"What?"

"The strain will kill them," Kisuke said with certainty, "We have to restore him to full shinigami form before that baby is born."

"Okay...so we have like nine months, ne?" Renji queried.

"Theoretically, yes," said Kisuke, "But not having been privy to the development and placement of that particular reiatsu chamber? I have no idea how long we really have. But I can tell you that every time you feed the baby's reiatsu, it's going to put pressure on his systems."

"Shit," Renji breathed, "What do we do?"

"R-renji?" moaned Byakuya, his eyes blinking open.

"Huh?" grunted the redhead, giving him a 'deer in the headlights' kind of look.

Byakuya looked from Renji's flushed face, to Kisuke's, then on to Rukia's and Ichigo's, then looked back at Renji's again.

"Renji, I am sorry. That must have been horridly embarrassing to have to explain."

"W-well..."

"My apologies for being so weak. Arigato, Mr. Urahara. I appreciate your help."

"Hey, it's Kisuke. And, uh, no problem," said the shopkeeper, "Just take it easier next time. And get some rest. I'm sure you and Renji will want to do some talking, now that you're conscious. Rukia? Ichigo? You guys should be out on watch. I still have to go slip into the Seireitei and see if I can find Yoruichi."

"But wait!" exclaimed Renji, "How do I...?"

"Don't worry about it," Kisuke advised him, "You two'll figure it out."

He disappeared out the door, taking the other two flustered looking shinigamis out with him.

Byakuya looked down where Renji's sweating hand held his a shade too tightly.

"Renji," he said, meeting the redhead's eyes questioningly, "What is it? You look troubled."

"Ah...well," Renji said unsteadily, "Things are just really complicated. I don't...even know where to begin."

"Then," Byakuya said, lifting his free hand to brush several errant strands of hair out of the redhead's worried eyes, "We should begin with what we know. I know when I look at you, I must have loved you. I feel that, even now...even though I don't remember."

He leaned forward and brought his lips to Renji's.  
"And...right now? I don't care if I remember. I may not have my memories, but we make new ones, every moment that passes. And what is best about my new memories, is that...I do not remember a time when I did not love you...when you did not love me...when we were not connected."

"But," said Renji, shaking his head, "you can't just let go of that part of yourself...that part that was stolen? Because it's connected to other people who love you, who trust you to be there for them, who need you. You don't want to leave them without your love and protection."

"Are you talking about Rukia?" asked Byakuya, looking at him and tilting his head slightly.

"I am talking about Rukia, your military squad, your family...and don't forget, Senbonzakura. You may not remember him, but he remembers you. And he must be really confused, really lost, right now."

"You think so?" asked the noble.

"Yeah," Renji said, slipping an arm around him and kissing him on the mouth, "I know so. Bya, you are the one who once told me that the key to being strong enough to win the battles I need to...is the deep, powerful connection between my zanpakutou and myself. The stronger our bond is...the more we resonate. And the more we resonate, the more we bring to the battlefield."

"But I have no powers," Byakuya objected, "no way to protect myself, let alone go after my zanpakutou. How do you propose that I connect with that which is now connected to a man who wishes to kill me?"

"I'm a long way from answering that. But we'll just take one day at a time, okay?" he said, kissing Byakuya's nose and lips.

"Okay," Byakuya answered, closing his eyes and sinking into Renji's mouth again.

"Now, there's something else we have to talk about," the redhead said, pulling away slightly.

"Hmmm?" queried Byakuya, giving Renji an oddly sweet, curious look he had never seen on the noble's face before.

"Erm...you know how in the shower, we were...you know..."

"Intimate?" Byakuya supplied.

"Yeah," Renji said, nodding, "Well, that power, the light that came out of me and entered your body, it didn't just shock you."

"No?"

"No," Renji said, a tentative smile taking over his lips, "It actually went inside you and was captured."

"C-captured?"

"Mhmm. Kisuke says that sometimes in noble families, the elders..."

"The ones who tried to kill me?"

"Yeah, those elders," Renji affirmed, "They were worried about making sure that the power that you had, didn't die out with you. They..."

"...wanted to make sure that I would procreate?" Byakuya queried.

"Uh-huh," said Renji, nodding again, "So...erm...without your knowledge, they put a special chamber inside your body, one that you wouldn't really need if you married a woman and had a baby, but one that...if you, uh...liked a guy instead..."

"Would make him pregnant?" asked Byakuya, his eyes widening, "You are pregnant, Renji?"

"Well...no, I'm not."

"You're...not."

"You are."

Byakuya stared at Renji silently for a long, silent moment, then looked down at his abdomen.

"I don't...feel anything," he said uncertainly.

Renji smiled affectionately.

"You can't. You can't sense reiatsu. I can feel it," the redhead said, placing a hand on the noble's flat abdomen, "Just here."

Byakuya's hand slipped down to lace its fingers together with Renji's, and his eyes met the redhead's.

"Are you happy about this?" he asked softly, "Because before...when the others left, you seemed upset. You...don't want this?"

"It's not that," Renji assured him, "It isn't that at all. I love you. I'm crazy about you. And if we get married and have a baby, that's wonderful. But...you don't remember most of your life. And...Kisuke says that your human body cannot cope with the stress of birthing a full shinigami child...which this kid will be. I can help you to keep the reiatsu chamber stable. But when it comes time to have the baby, you have to have been restored, or we'll lose you both."

"Renji..." Byakuya whispered, resting his head on the redhead's shoulder, "How long until...?"

"We don't know," Renji admitted, "Kisuke's still working on that one. So...we're just not going to think about that for now. We're only going to focus on what we have to do. Now, I don't know how this works, so let's just see what happens."

He waited as Byakuya opened his yukata, baring his slender torso. Renji leaned forward and placed his hands on the noble's abdomen, focusing until he found the reiatsu chamber. He loosed his reiatsu slowly, carefully controlling the flow, so as not to overwhelm Byakuya. The noble gazed quietly at where Renji's hands rested on his belly, unable to see the power flowing into him, but feeling instead, the discomfort it caused. He breathed slowly, but Renji could see the pain reflected in his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Y-yes," Byakuya assured him, closing his eyes.

Renji focused on the chamber and felt the calm balance that had been reached inside it. He halted the flow of reiatsu and laid down next to the noble, pulling him close.

"Rest now, okay? It's going to be kinda rough on you when I do that. I'm sorry."

"I told you, I'm all right. Stop apologizing."

He started to go on, but froze at the sound of some kind of commotion going on in the front of the house. Renji climbed to his feet, but placed a staying hand on Byakuya as the noble tried to follow.

"Hey...you need to rest. Lie down."

Byakuya frowned.

"The last time I checked, _I_ was the captain, Renji. I am quite able to manage myself."

"Says the guy who almost dropped dead..." added Renji.

"Only because you shocked me with that...that procreative power," objected the noble.

"_Fine_," sighed the redhead, "But will you at least let me help you a little?"

"Very well," Byakuya agreed, leaning against the redhead as they rose and walked out into the hallway.

They walked back to the entry and found Kisuke and Orihime leaning over someone on the floor.

"Rukia?" said Byakuya, looking worried.

"No," said Kisuke, "Yoruichi. She just staggered in and collapsed. I don't what happened, but judging by the look of her, I say she'd been attacked...by Senbonzakura!"


	7. Useless

**Chapter 7: Useless**

Byakuya woke to find himself unexpectedly alone. It occurred to him suddenly that since his undoing at the hands of the elders, Renji had been a constant presence at his side. He or one of the others had been with him almost every minute. Their presence, he found, had lent him a great deal of comfort, and it seemed, a sense of identity amidst a deep redefining of who he was.

_Though I do not remember it, I was once a powerful man...leader of the greatest of the noble clans...master of great powers...a military leader. But with their swords, my family struck at the heart of who I am, tore away the part of me they wanted...the part that was strong...the part that led...the part that Renji loved. They stole that from me and left me an empty shell...still nice to look at, but poor...powerless...nameless and marked for death if anyone even learns I am alive._

_So...why did Renji save me?_

_Why do these others risk themselves to protect me?_

He slipped out of bed and put on a warm robe and a pair of slippers. Entering the hallway, he heard voices coming from down the hallway, where the others kept watch over the injured Shihoin princess, Yoruichi.

"Did she wake up at all during the night?" Renji's voice asked.

"No," Kisuke answered in a weary voice, "She's been unconscious ever since she staggered in here. All I know is that it was Senbonzakura that attacked her."

"He's a powerful zanpakutou," acknowledged Renji, "He always has been."

"But you don't get it, Renji," Kisuke went on, "Senbonzakura, even though he was strong, has never done this kind of damage to her before...not even with a direct hit."

"You think it's the additional power of whoever is wearing the device they trapped Byakuya's soul remnant in?" Renji asked.

"Maybe," said Kisuke, still sounding uncertain, "But this...seems too devastating even for the power of two shinigamis. I'm wondering if..."

"What?"

"Well, I don't know yet. I have to wait until she wakes up. Yoruichi is holding an important piece of this puzzle, but we can't get to it until she's able to wake up and tell us about it."

Byakuya sighed softly and turned away from the closed door. He walked out to the kitchen and made a cup of green tea, then stood looking out the large window at the lake below the house. And after several long minutes, and finishing the tea, it wasn't enough to merely look. He needed the fresh air to fill his lungs...to give him back a sense of being alive. He glanced back at the room where Renji and Kisuke tended to Yoruichi, then ventured to the door that led down to the lakeshore. He walked quietly down the stairway and stepped onto the dirt trail at the bottom. The area around the nearest portion of the lake appeared to be private, and he saw no others within visual distance. He was certain that Ichigo and Rukia were somewhere nearby, but had no way left to sense their direction or distance from him.

_Perhaps I am glad I don't remember having those abilities. It is odd enough to function now, only having been told of their existence. If I remembered what it felt like to be powerful and to be able to sense things, I would feel even more naked and vulnerable than I do now._

He looked at his reflection in the water, trying to piece together some sense of himself, but couldn't feel connected with anything but what was right there on the surface. And even though he knew he carried Renji's child, he couldn't feel the child's presence...only a vague throbbing in his lower abdomen and a small amount of dizziness and nausea.

_But at least that is something..._

Byakuya felt his melancholy lift as warm arms embraced him from behind, and Renji's breath teased the sensitive flesh of his ear and throat.

"You know, you shouldn't wander off like that," the redhead said, kissing the skin that his breath had set blushing, "With essentially no reiatsu, you're a little hard for us to track, if you should get lost."

"How could I get more lost than I already am, Renji?" Byakuya said, gazing at their reflection in the water, "There is only a shell of what I was...that, and a child I'm not strong enough to bear. I cannot even fight for what was taken from me. Others are forced to fight...be injured...perhaps die, while I am here under protection. Yet, even having the stronger part of me torn away, I still have the desire to fight back...just not the strength. How can you love someone like that?"

Renji let out a gentle breath and his eyes softened.

"Bya...when I love someone, I love all of that person. And I don't stop loving that person because he gets hurt...torn apart...or broken. When that stuff happens, I just help to pick up the pieces and rebuild."

Renji rubbed his cheek against Byakuya's and squeezed his hand.

"When I was a kid, in Inuzuri? That was the way we all lived. Everybody, at some time or another, got broken. And when it was someone else, we learned to pitch in and take care of him or her. Because, sooner or later, we were all going to be in that place. It was a given...living there like we did."

Byakuya sighed.

"You must think I'm ridiculous...feeling so overwrought about things that I don't even really remember. While others are fighting and being hurt on my behalf...I..."

"Hey," Renji said reprovingly, "Don't do that to yourself. Even though you don't remember, you feel inside that something isn't right. Just...don't beat up on yourself about it. You know...you once gave me a really good piece of advice that I'm going to give back to you. You told me...that...the time to fight for your convictions will come, and you will know when the time is right. Do not rush to reach that moment. It will come to you. Bya, I know that you think that the ability to fight has been taken away from you, but the truth is...you can still fight. You just have to fight differently."

Byakuya shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back at his reflection in the water.

"I will not insult you by continuing to cast doubt on what you say," said the noble, "I will take it into consideration, and I will keep an open mind."

"Good."

Renji smiled and moved in closer to indulge in several slow, open-mouthed kisses. His hand slipped down to reach into Byakuya's yukata and caress his abdomen. He paused and leaned back, peering down where his hand rested, then looked back at Byakuya's curious face.

"Bya...there's already a bump there."

Byakuya's hand moved down to join Renji's, and his brow furrowed.

"I know that during gestation, there isn't usually a bump until a few months in," he said softly.

Renji shook his head worriedly.

"We need to tell Kisuke," he said, taking Byakuya's hand and pulling him along towards the house, "Come on."

The two returned to the house and walked back to the room where Kisuke watched over Yoruichi. The shopkeeper looked up at them questioningly.

"What's up, guys?" he asked quietly.

"It's Bya," Renji said, worriedly, "I think that baby we're having is developing faster than it should. He's already got a bump on his belly...not too big of one, but we _know_ he shouldn't have one yet!"

Kisuke frowned.

"No, he shouldn't...but then, with all that's happened to him, it's hard to say what's normal anymore."

He gazed down at Yoruichi, thinking.

"I need to take some samples of Bya's blood and images of the baby. I can use reiatsu tracing to get the images. I'll take the samples back to my lab and have a closer look at them."

"What about the Kuchiki family, and...?" Renji began.

"If they're after anyone, it's you and Rukia...maybe Yoruichi. They won't reveal themselves if they just see me. And I'll be careful not to lead them back to you, when I return. I will need you guys to watch over Yoruichi."

"We will," Byakuya promised.

"Orihime is managing her healing, but she will need to rest and eat, so you guys can take care of her."

Renji knelt beside Yoruichi, maintaining a field of healing around her as Orihime left to rest. Byakuya returned to his bedroom, where Kisuke extracted the needed samples, and took several images of the baby.

"It's too soon to tell the gender," he said, studying one of the images, then handing it to Byakuya, who gazed at it raptly, his gray eyes shining, "It mostly just looks like a cute little blob, but you can pick out the head and the beginnings of limbs. Looking at this, I would say that although your pregnancy is moving along quickly, we'll still have some time to work with, as far as figuring out what's going on with your family and finding a way to get your powers back. But, I'll have a better picture when I get back from the lab. I should have some results by tomorrow."

"Arigato, Kisuke," said Byakuya, offering the image back to him.

"Keep it," Kisuke said, smiling, "I made that one for you and Renji. You focus on that when you need to remember what you're fighting for."

A trace of a smile warmed Byakuya's lips.

"We will," he said, watching as the shopkeeper left.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the tiny, growing bit of Renji and himself, his eyes soft and adoring. Then, he stood and walked back to the bedroom where Renji watched over Yoruichi. He sat down next to the redhead and slipped the image into his hand.

Renji lifted the image so that he could see it under the lamp by the bed. His brow furrowed as he studied it, then his eyes lit from within, and a beautiful smile crawled onto his face.

"This is...?" he whispered.

"Our baby," finished Byakuya, "And...I think this...is more than enough reason for me to believe that we will find the way to recover my powers. But, even once I do, I will not forget that, at my very weakest moment, when I had lost all certainty of who I was and what my fate would be...you came to me and gave me this beautiful gift. Arigato, Renji. I cannot find the words to show the depths of my gratitude."

"B-byakuya Kuchiki...sh-showing gratitude?" Yoruichi stammered softly, opening an eye and squinting up at them, "Kami, I must be dead."

Renji chuckled.

"You're not dead," he said, reassuringly, "You can thank Orihime and Kisuke for that."

"Kisuke..." Yoruichi said, blinking dazedly, "Wh-where is he?"

"He went back to run some tests on samples he took from Byakuya," Renji explained.

"You...you have to get a...message to him."

"What did you learn?" Byakuya asked.

"N-not much that would be...all that helpful. But...I did hear them say something."

"What?" Renji asked.

"Aratani...Kisaki."

The redhead frowned and Byakuya gazed at her blankly.

"You...don't remember?" she panted softly, dizziness overtaking her again, "It is...the..."

Her voice faded and her eyes closed again. Byakuya and Renji exchanged glances.

"Aratani Kisaki?" Renji repeated, "It doesn't ring a bell."

"And I certainly don't remember it," added Byakuya.

Renji's eyes widened.

"But you might have known it before. I think that she meant that you might have known it. You were the caretaker of the Kuchiki family archive, the largest library and museum of noble and royal books and artifacts in the three worlds."

"Unfortunately, whatever knowledge I had of that name seems to have vanished with my shinigami remnant. And I have no access to the library, as I cannot enter the Seireitei."

"But that doesn't mean that _someone _won't know about it. And I think that Kisuke might be that someone. I should go and tell him about this."

"I agree," said Byakuya, "Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime and I can care for Yoruichi until you two return."

"Okay. I'll go now."

He stood, and Byakuya stood up with him. Renji pressed the image of their child into Byakuya's hand. The noble looked down at it and smiled.

"Stay strong," said Renji, kissing him on the mouth, "I'll be back before you know it."

Byakuya nodded silently, and watched as he left. He closed the door behind the redhead and returned to Yoruichi's bedside. He sat quietly beside her, remembering what Renji had told him about their past.

_Rukia said that she was told Yoruichi was asked by your grandfather to train you in flash step and kido when you were a kid. Apparently, she liked to steal your hair ties and antagonize you until you took out after her, threatening to kill her. It never happened, of course. You never caught her in all that time._

"But Senbonzakura caught you this time, Yoruichi," he said softly, "And perhaps for the first time, I wish that my blade had not had the speed to capture you. I am sorry. You would not be in this state, had you not gone to the Seireitei on my behalf. And that leaves me in your debt."

He sighed and closed his eyes, aching inside to retrieve, if only for a moment, a portion, even, of the strength he had possessed.

"I promise you," he whispered, his eyes still closed, and his hand holding hers, "I will regain my strength, and I will make them pay for hurting you. You and all of those who are protecting me will someday have my protection in return."

He caught his breath softly as the fingers of Yoruichi's free hand touched his face and she moaned feverishly. He met her squinting eyes and gave her a sad, tired smile.

"It's okay..." she moaned deliriously, "Don't make that face...Little Byakuya. Not everybody leaves...I promise."

"And you will not leave me either," he said, smirking, "From what I understand, no matter how I tried in my youth, I could not get rid of you...until you _had_ to leave."

"And once I came back, I promised you that that would be the only time I ever left you. I know you have lost some important people in your life, but...you will not lose me."

"Rest now, Yoruichi Shihoin," he said quietly, "I have a feeling that your strength will be needed before the end of this."

He took a cool, wet washcloth and gently washed her face and throat, then coaxed her into taking a few sips of water. She smiled up at him, then drifted off to sleep again. Sighing softly, Byakuya rose and opened the window slightly to freshen the air in the room. Soft voices rose up from outside, where Ichigo and Rukia kept watch.

"It's awful, what they did to him. Your brother was such a strong person...so powerful, and now..." Ichigo said in a somber tone.

"My brother is still a strong person, Ichigo," Rukia replied, "The truth is...Byakuya's greatest strength is not in his flash step, his kido or even his zanpakutou. The thing I admire most about him is his strong heart. It sees him through everything, no matter how bad things get. And it will see him through this, too."

"You know," Ichigo replied, "I think you are right. I haven't agreed with everything that guy has done, but he does face everything that comes along, with a strong heart. I respect that, powers or no."

"Me too."

"Rukia...he's going to be all right. We're going to figure out what they did with Byakuya's soul remnant, and he's going to get his memories and his powers back."

"I know that," said Rukia, "I feel it inside. And while we wait for that, I am going to repay something of what he has given me, watching over me all of these years since my sister's death. It is my turn to watch over him. I won't let anyone hurt him."

"Neither will I," promised Ichigo.

Byakuya stepped away from the window, a wavering smile on his lips. He returned to Yoruichi and sat down again, his mind replaying what he had just heard.

_How can I not feel encouraged, being surrounded by such people? I wonder how I won their affection...their respect._

_Maybe, I have not lost everything._

_Maybe, I have not become useless._

_If all of these people around me, believe so much in me._

_Maybe, I am still strong._

_Perhaps..._


	8. The Other Part of Me

**Chapter 8: The Other Part of Me**

**(A Weekend Request for Picklez80. Sorry it's late. Having a bad muse day!)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**Even lost and not remembering you, I feel your pain inside me. Connected as we are, we will meet again, somehow. But will we embrace...or will we destroy each other?**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Satoshi closed the doors to the council chambers and made his way down the stone steps in front of the Kuchiki council hall, then turned in the direction of Kuchiki Manor. The stars winked down at him from overhead, and the foot traffic on the road was light, giving him time to mull over his plans.

_The important thing now is to arouse the least amount of suspicion as I gain access to the spirit dimension. Convincing the subfamilies that the council was on a retreat to discuss the change of leadership will give me several days at least to enter the archive and find the information I need. While all council members have access to the Kuchiki family archive, only the clan leader may enter the spirit dimension through the door in that place. Now that I lead the clan, it is only a matter of opening the door._

He reached the front gates of the manor and passed by the solemn looking guards. He frowned to himself at how affected Byakuya's staff had been by his removal and death. It should, he thought, have caused no dissent at all, given the former leader's public promise to adhere to the clan laws and the well known fact of his dalliance with his commoner vice captain.

_It still amazes me how he played so easily into my hand, opening the door to his downfall himself. I had a plan, of course, but it was exceedingly kind of Byakuya to instead practically hand me the keys to leadership, himself._

He turned down the left hand walkway, glancing at the gardens as he passed by them and frowning.

_I had thought that with Byakuya's removal and my installation that the gardens would change, but strangely, they have not. They usually respond to a change of leadership by dying and regrowing in a new pattern. But perhaps it is the presence of Senbonzakura inside Aratani Kisaki that has this effect. Still, that is a minor thing..._

He reached the archive door and laid a palm on the wooden surface. His frown deepened when the lock did not release, but remained securely sealed.

"Odd," he mused, trying again, "What are you about?"

He paused and reached up to the pendant at his throat, touching it and breathing Senbonzakura's name. The samurai appeared and looked at him curiously.

"What is it, Master?" he said solemnly.

"This door," Satoshi said impatiently, "It has locked down for some reason. You were Byakuya's zanpakutou before his removal. You have all of his shinigami memories at your disposal. Tell me why this door will not open. Even if I wasn't the newly elected leader, I am a member of council, and therefore have the right to enter here. Why am I being impeded?"

Senbonzakura moved forward and touched the door with one gloved hand, closing his eyes and remembering.

_He saw several swift flashes of memory...First, he saw Byakuya coming around a corner in the council hall and stopping short, concealing himself from Satoshi...listening and frowning as the head councilor spoke to another councilor. Then he saw his former master reading a book within the archive and wearing a deeply troubled expression. And finally, he saw Byakuya standing at the archive door and placing some kind of enchantment on the door._

Senbonzakura glanced back at Satoshi, hesitating.

"Senbonzakura," Satoshi said impatiently, "What do you know about this?"

"My former master did not trust you."

"What?"

"He heard something that you said to another councilor and it unsettled him. He placed a kido spell on the door because of that. From what I can tell from his memories, it would activate if he was betrayed in some way."

Satoshi shook his head firmly.

"That shouldn't matter," he insisted, "That kido should have dissipated when he died."

"But," said the samurai, "Not all of him died."

"That is so," agreed Satoshi, "however, when I became leader, his control over the archive should have passed to me...either by my selection as leader or at his death."

He paused for a moment, thinking, then took a breath and turned away from the archive.

"Come, Senbonzakura," Satoshi said stridently.

"Where are we going, Master?"

"To the clan prison. I think that if I want to know more about what Byakuya was thinking, or actions he took, there is no better man to go to than his own 'right hand.' Don't you agree?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke looked up in surprise as Renji appeared in the doorway of the shopkeeper's laboratory.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching somebody?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "What's going on, Renji? It must be important for you to have left Byakuya. Is he okay?"

"Byakuya's all right," Renji confirmed, "Well, as 'all right' as he can be, under the circumstances. But this isn't about him. It's about Yoruichi."

"Is she okay?" Kisuke asked, looking concerned, "She didn't..."

"She remembered something...something she thought was too important to wait."

"Okay," said Kisuke, "What was it?"

"She remembered something that one of the councilors said before she was attacked...a name...Aratani Kisaki."

Kisuke went still, his eyes intense.

"_Aratani Kisaki_?" he repeated, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," affirmed Renji, "That's what she said, "Who is Aratani Kisaki?"

Kisuke shook his head.

"Aratani Kisaki is not a 'who' but a 'what.' It's the Empress Stone pendant."

"What is that?" asked the redhead, frowning, "I've never heard of it. But Yoruichi thought Byakuya would have known about it."

"Yeah," said the shopkeeper, nodding, "He would. He would know about it because it was worn by the first incarnation of the king's consort...a young noble lord named Hajime Kuchiki."

"What?" said Renji, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, he was the very first member of the Kuchiki family, the patriarch. The king is said to have made the first five noble lords in the gardens, each from something different. Hajime Kuchiki was made from the limbs and petals of an ancient sakura tree...which is why they all carry that scent. The Aomori clan patriarch was spun from the silk of a giant silkworm in the garden, and they are textile artisans who make the king's clothing. And the list goes on. Anyway, the king gave Hajime a pendant when they were married, twelve sapphires around a blue moonstone. He chose it because it matched Hajime's blue eyes, he said. Hajime wore the pendant always, until he and the king underwent rebirth and their souls were captured and forever joined in the king's prism, when our current king, the second incarnation of the king, was placed on the throne. The pendant was given to the Kuchiki family to safeguard, because it was believed to have very strong powers. I don't know what those powers are, but I'm sure that they're formidable."

"That's got to be where that bastard is hiding the part of Byakuya's soul that he tore away!" exclaimed Renji, "That's what you're saying, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kisuke agreed, "If it's true that Satoshi Kuchiki has possession of Aratani Kisaki, then inside the pendant is the most likely place that Byakuya's spirit remnant would be."

"That means that we need to get that damned pendant away from him!" Renji exclaimed.

"Whoa, hey, wait just a sec!" objected Kisuke, "Now, you can't just run off to the Seireitei and try to strongarm the pendant away from the guy. This is gonna take some planning, and you're a big part of the plan, so I don't want you going off half-cocked. You need to use your head and not be so hasty about everything."

Renji bristled for a moment, but then his expression softened and he relaxed slightly.

"Yeah...sorry," he said, shaking his head, "I have a real problem with that. In fact, I guess that's what got Byakuya into this mess in the first place...me just barging ahead, grabbing him and making love to him like that, when..."

"Aww, don't do that," Kisuke scolded him gently, "You can't blame yourself for reacting pretty strongly to finally getting one up on him on the battlefield. You've been working at it for kami knows how long. And anyway, what's done is done. You're not gonna help yourself or Byakuya and that baby by beating up on yourself, or acting rashly and getting yourself killed. Just...let me give this some thought, okay? There's been nothing too threatening coming through the grapevine since I got here, so it looks like this guy may have just figured that killing Byakuya and scaring you and Rukia into hiding was enough for his purposes. He may not come after you at all. In fact, if he's got Aratani Kisaki, the guy has major plans against somebody powerful. He _may _just be angling to secure control over the noble houses, so things go the way he wants them, but there is a chance that he could be aiming higher than that, you know what I mean?"

Renji's eyes widened.

"You mean, he might try to attack the king?"

"I don't know," the shopkeeper admitted, "I have to get more information about that pendant. The best place to look for it is in the Kuchiki family archive, of course...and...I do have a token that Byakuya gave me that will get me inside. I think Yoruichi has one too. Byakuya gave them to us, in case of emergency. And I'm thinking that this qualifies."

"Yeah," said Renji, "Well, just remember what happened to Yoruichi when she tried to go get information before. We have to watch out, not just for those bastard elders, but for Senbonzakura. He's on their side now!"

"Yeah?" said Kisuke, a slight shake in his voice, "Well, we've got you and Zabimaru...the ones who just kicked Senbonzakura's pretty, petal bladed ass. And that was with him joined with his master, who'd had years of training with him. I think we can handle him on his own. But we don't know enough to handle Aratani Kisaki, at this point. We have no idea exactly what that thing can do or how to fight it."

"So, I guess that the thing we have to do is try to get the information on that pendant before the guy who's got it uses it."

"Very good," Kisuke said, smirking, "Someone's been listening to his captain pretty closely during his training, ne?"

A blush rose on Renji's cheeks.

"Shut up," he said, chuckling.

Their momentary smiles faded.

"So, you're going to try to break into Kuchiki Manor, ne?" Renji asked.

"Yeah," confirmed Kisuke, "But first, I need to finish the analysis on the samples I took from Byakuya."

He turned back to the computer screen and studied the results of the tests he had run. Renji felt a quiver inside at the expression on his face.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Kisuke took a steadying breath.

"His gestation is moving quickly...too fast. I can't leave for the Seireitei until we find a way to stabilize him. I am going to keep working on that."

"But Kisuke, we really need that information about the pendant!" Renji insisted, "If you can't go, then..."

"Yoruichi's hurt too bad," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "She can't do it either. And Byakuya gave the tokens to us directly, meaning we have to be the ones to use them. But...I do know someone...someone close to Byakuya...someone who might have a token and be able to enter. Problem is...if they took out Byakuya, they would have to have killed or controlled him somehow."

Renji's eyes widened in realization.

"You mean...?"

"Yeah..." Kisuke said, nodding, "I am talking about Tetsuya Kuchiki."

"Byakuya's cousin," Renji said, approvingly.

"His cousin, confidante, head of house security...and like his own brother. But Renji, if they did this to Byakuya, then they have to have done something to him."

"But we need him if we want to get the information from the archive," Renji concluded.

"Yeah, if Tetsuya has a token, he would be the best one to send, considering that he's been in that place numerous times and would know where to look."

"So," said Renji, his eyes narrowing, "It looks like I'm going to find Tetsuya."

Kisuke frowned and nibbled at his lip thoughtfully.

"You can't go," he said finally.

"What? Why not?"

"Because that bonding I told you about has to be done by you. And he is going to need it more frequently as he progresses. You probably need to go back to him right now."

"But what do we do about Tetsuya?" Renji objected, "If they've got him, then we can't just leave him there!"

Kisuke sighed.

"If he's alive, no. But we don't know that."

"Then, someone needs to find out," Renji insisted.

The two thought for a moment, then locked eyes.

"Rukia and Ichigo," they said together.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya heard an echoing footstep and felt a shiver of ice pass through his restrained body. More footsteps followed as the person proceeded slowly through the cellblock and came to a stop outside his cell. He heard the scrape of a key in the lock, and the click as it released, then heard more footsteps that approached him and stopped just beside him. There was a pause, and then his blindfold and gag were removed, and he looked up to meet Satoshi's eyes. He fought down waves of revulsion and anger, steeling himself.

"Why are you here?" he asked coldly, "Wasn't your plan that after you killed my cousin, you were going to seize control of the clans and challenge the king? You said that you had no more use for me. I am scheduled to be the first house execution in our known history. So...why would you come to see me? What do you want?"

He caught his breath raggedly, a soft, unbidden sob escaping him as Senbonzakura appeared beside the man.

"I want information," said Satoshi, meeting the younger man's eyes with malevolence, "I want you to tell me what Byakuya knew...and...what he did to the archive door."

Satoshi inhaled in surprise as a laugh escaped the bound noble.

"What is so funny, Tetsuya. Your cousin is dead and you are soon to join him. Why are you laughing?"

Tetsuya's smile faded.

"I am laughing because you actually had the nerve to ask me that question. Did you think that I would betray him, even to save my life? Of that I would believe for a moment that you would spare me if I told you anything? You are every as stupid and arrogant as Byakuya warned me that you were!"

He reeled as the man's hand struck him across the face and then wrapped around his throat and began to squeeze.

"If you won't tell me anything, then I might as well kill you right now," he said in an angry hiss.

"Go ahead," gasped Tetsuya, "Do it...and you will end any chance of getting that door opened!"

Tetsuya's eyes blinked in surprise as Satoshi released his throat and smiled at him.

"Thank you," he said quietly, "for confirming what I thought. You know something."

"And you will never learn it from me," Tetsuya said, meeting his eyes calmly again.

"Perhaps not," the elder said dulcetly, "But...maybe there is someone who can convince you to change your mind..."

Tetsuya went quiet and pale, watching with wary eyes as Satoshi stood back and Senbonzakura approached him.

"Senbonzakura," he whispered, his voice shaking slightly.

"We meet again," the samurai said solemnly, "But this time without your Re-kuhime. You have no choice now, Tetsuya Kuchiki. You will tell me what I want to know...or you will suffer unbearably for it!"


	9. Unmasked

**Chapter 9: Unmasked**

**(Not a new chapter, yet. Just wanted to let readers know this one was back!)**

Tetsuya felt consciousness returning and immediately registered the heavy press of Senbonzakura's reiatsu around him, as well as the sting on his skin where the samurai's bladed petals had stung him as he was interrogated.

_His zanpakutou has truly been corrupted. Senbonzakura's was as honorable a spirit as Byakuya's own. What could have caused him to abandon his own master like that? What power...?_

"I see you have awakened," said Senbonzakura, "Are you prepared to yield the information I asked you for? Or do you prefer to suffer more torment?"

Tetsuya managed a stiff smile.

"Come now, Senbonzakura," he said with forced calm, "You have never known me to be the type to give in to such tactics...any more than you have been the type to lower yourself to working for the likes of that bastard, Satoshi!"

Tetsuya took a hissing breath as Sen's petals stung his already tormented skin, sending fresh waves of pain through his restrained form.

"Tell me how to get through that door!" Senbonzakura demanded, "I know that my master did something to the door so that it would lock down if he was betrayed..."

"You _know_ Satoshi betrayed him?" Tetsuya asked, through teeth clenched against the pain he was in, "Sen, you know that man turned against our clan leader, and you are helping him? Why would you do that? Why? You are an honorable spirit! You were, I thought, as unfailingly loyal to my cousin as I am. What happened to you?"

Senbonzakura went quiet for a moment, looking down at the stark red streaks of blood on Tetsuya's slender back, Tetsuya's chest heaved and the stinging pain left him light-headed and shaky. He sensed the uncertainty in the spirit, the hesitation that lasted for just a moment, then disappeared again.

"That does not matter, and is none of your concern. Lord Satoshi is our leader, and he is my master now. And he has commanded me to obtain this information from you, no matter what means I must use. You do not seem to respond to simple physical pain, so perhaps we might use a different approach."

"What do you mean?" Tetsuya asked, a feeling of dread rising inside him, "What are you going to do?"

"You remember that, as part of your connection with my former master, you and Re-kuhime granted Byakuya and me entrance into your inner world."

"No!" Tetsuya cried, a feeling like ice entering his veins, "Senbonzakura, that was a sacred thing. It was..."

"It doesn't matter. Nothing from that time matters. All that matters is the will of Lord Satoshi. Now, if you will not yield the information I requested, then I will invade your inner world and torment both you and your zanpakutou. I know that you do not want to die. And even more, you would never want harm to come to your zanpakutou."

"I do not want harm to come to you, Senbonzakura," Tetsuya said solemnly, soundly shocking the samurai, and making him go quiet again, "I love Byakuya, and I care deeply about you. Please, hear me. Do not do this. You must have been somehow controlled, but I _know_ you! I know that this is not you. The Senbonzakura I know is an honorable spirit, and devoted to my cousin. Whatever they have done to you, I feel that you are still in there somewhere. Please, Senbonzakura. Please come out of this haze you are in. Hear me Sen! Please!"

Tetsuya waited breathlessly as the samurai went silent again, but shivered as a gloved hand touched his face with an odd gentleness.

"Tetsuya Kuchiki," Senbonzakura said in a low, controlled tone, "I have not forgotten the bond that was between the four of us before. It is because of that, that I regret having to cause you pain. It is because of that, that doing as my new master dictates brings me pain as well. But...if you think that either of those things is enough to stop me, then think again. Now...I will give you one more chance to tell me what I want to know. If you will not, then I will have no choice, but to enter your inner world and force you into submission. I will break Re-kuhime if I have to. Tetsuya, I will kill her if it becomes necessary! Do not force me to do this to the two of you. I have already lost my former master."

Tetsuya inhaled sharply.

"Byakuya...really is dead then?" he asked in a trembling voice, "You witnessed this?"

"Lord Satoshi dealt him the killing blow, himself," Sen answered, his voice tremoring with the telling of it, "Even if the taking back of the familial power did not destroy Byakuya Kuchiki, the blow that Satoshi gave him, finished him. His life force faded, and I have not felt it since. Byakuya is dead...and you are left with two choices, Tetsuya Kuchiki. You will either tell me what my master wants to know, or I will invade your inner world and force it from you. Now, which will it be?"

He glared down at Tetsuya's bleeding back and tightly bound hands, frowning as the shinigami shivered softly, but still refused to answer him.

"I see," he said finally, "Well then, I have no choice. Prepare yourself, Tetsuya Kuchiki. You are going to be very, very sorry that you showed such stubbornness. You are about to die painfully."

Tetsuya swallowed hard and closed his eyes, steeling himself as Senbonzakura sat down next to him and removed his glove. He shivered at the feel of soft, deceptively gentle fingertips touching his forehead. His lips tightened in preparation, but nothing could have prepared him for the icy terror that gripped his young body as Senbonzakura forced open the doorway into his inner world. Tetsuya released a scream of agony, his entire body shocked with the feel of that familiar, yet deadly presence that was Senbonzakura, pushing at his mind and then heartlessly slicing through his resistance. He felt himself falling and cried out again, his mind numb with fear. Not even the return of Re-kuhime's cool presence could soothe Tetsuya as he crashed down into the lovely, moonlit place that was his inner world, then watched as Senbonzakura landed and headed towards him.

Freed of the bindings that had held him, Tetsuya stood in the long grass of a wide, open meadow and waited. His hands clenched as Senbonzakura drew his weapon and began to close on him.

"Tetsuya Kuchiki," the samurai said warningly, "Speak to me now, or I will kill you and your zanpakutou."

Gaining no response, he flash stepped forward, slicing down with his blade as he reached the frozen shinigami. But where metal should have sliced through Tetsuya's body, it instead crashed down on another blue steeled blade.

"You!" Sen hissed at the petite, pixie-like spirit who had blocked his attack, "Do not impede me...or I will crush you!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Renji," Byakuya said, smiling as the redhead's warm arms slipped around him from behind, and Renji looked over his shoulder, out at the lake in front of them.

"I thought I'd find you out here."

Byakuya turned in Renji's arms and met him for several slow, deep kisses, of greeting, then the noble's dark eyes met the redhead's, and he paused, waiting.

"I told Kisuke about Aratani Kisaki, and he agreed with Yoruichi, that you would have known the name."

"Who is that?" Byakuya asked, "Kisuke knew? Did he tell you?"

"Yeah," Renji confirmed, keeping his arms wrapped around Byakuya and letting his hands slide down to begin the stabilizing infusion of reiatsu into the noble's even more pronounced abdomen, "And it turns out that Aratani Kisaki wasn't a person, but an enchanted pendant that belonged to the first Kuchiki, Hajime Kuchiki. He was the consort of the first incarnation of the spirit king. When he and the king were drawn into the king's prism and the second incarnation of the king assumed the throne, the pendant was given to the Kuchiki family and placed in the family archive. Kisuke told me that only the clan leader and council have access to the archive, unless given a special token. Yoruichi has one, so she could enter, but she is still not recovered enough to go. Kisuke also has a token, but he's trying to find a way to slow your gestation, to buy us some more time."

"So if neither of them can go to the archive, what are we to do?" Byakuya asked, closing his eyes and wincing at the discomfort that the reiatsu infusion caused.

Renji smiled sadly and caressed the noble's cheek sympathetically as he continued the infusion.

"There is someone else that we are sure will have a key...your cousin, Tetsuya."

"Tetsuya..." Byakuya repeated, shaking his head at his inability to connect with the name.

"He is...was...close to you. Kisuke figures that if we can find him, he would be the best one to send into the archive. He will know where to find what we need."

"But," Byakuya objected, "If Satoshi knows that Tetsuya was close to me, won't he have acted to neutralize him somehow? Either by incapacitating or killing him?"

"That's what Kisuke thinks too. But he's hoping that Satoshi wouldn't have had him killed yet. He sent Rukia and Ichigo to see if they can find him and get him to help us."

"Ah," said Byakuya, nodding approvingly, "I see. That seems a sound strategy. I hope that they find him."

"Me too," Renji said, letting the power around his hands fade as he completed the infusion.

He bit at his lips in frustration as Byakuya's face paled and his legs weakened beneath him. He caught the noble as he started to fall and eased him down to kneel at the lake's edge. Byakuya leaned against the redhead's shoulder, humiliation sweeping through him as waves of dizziness pelted him, and his ears rang warningly. He felt Renji's fingers in his hair and heard the redhead's soothing whisper in his ear, and closed his eyes to gather himself.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the house, warmly tucked into bed and curled into Renji's arms. He read the fear behind the warm, loving gaze that Renji gave him, but chose not to speak the obvious.

_We both know what is going on...that I am slowly dying. But we shouldn't focus on that. There is nothing that we can do that is not being done. As much as I would act to control my own fate if I could, right now, it rests in others' hands. These are the hands of the ones I called my friends before. And moment by moment, I relearn just what these people really meant to me. If there is a gift in what has happened, that is it...this connection with these family and friends who would not just fight for me, but would die to protect me. As much as Renji has impressed upon me that I was a strong person and I used to be the one to protect others, it is comforting now to witness them protecting me. I haven't the pride I once did to get in the way of appreciating that...so I will instead embrace it...for as long as I can._

"You should sleep some more," Renji admonished him, letting his rough-skinned fingers slide over the noble's soft cheek, "These infusions are really rough on you."

"I am fine, Renji," he assured the redhead, "Although the infusions are taxing, I think I am weathering them as well as can be expected."

Renji sighed and gave him a placating smile.

"Yeah, you're doing as well as anyone could under the circumstances...but that doesn't surprise me...as strong as you are."

Byakuya lowered his eyes and let out a soft, amused breath.

"Renji..."

"You _are_ strong, Byakuya," Renji repeated, cupping the noble's face in his hands, "maybe not in body...but..."

He slipped a hand down to rest on Byakuya's pale breast, over his heart.

"Here...you are strong."

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I think that when the elders took your powers, they made a huge mistake...besides the obvious of completely betraying their leader, that is."

"And that was?"

"They thought that the strongest thing about you was your shinigami power. I'm not saying that your powers were anything less than amazing, but I've known for a long time, that your heart is even stronger. That's what kept you from dying when they tried to kill you, and it's what's going to keep you alive now."

"Renji, we both know that the only reason I survived was because of your quick thinking and Orihime's reject power. Whatever heart I have couldn't have overcome..."

"Stop," said Renji, shaking his head, "I don't wanna hear that. I know that you had to accept help from other people. But their help would have done no good at all if your heart hadn't decided to keep fighting to stay alive. And it has to keep doing that now. Whatever happens from now on, whatever that bastard cousin of yours tries, you can't give up, okay?"

Byakuya sighed and nodded, then lowered his head back onto Renji's shoulder, enjoying the slow play of the redhead's hands over his bare back and round bottom. He turned his head to meet Renji's lips for a tender exchange of kisses, then he slipped his tongue between the redhead's parted lips for a deeper exploration of the warm, red mouth that gave him such pleasure that he might forget, even if for just a short time, the weakness in his body, his inability to do anything to change his situation. his need to rely on those around him. There was, he found, another kind of strength that sustained him, one that was fed every time he laid down with this red haired man.

He opened his eyes and let himself fall deeply into Renji's widened, red-brown ones. And it seemed he found new strength building inside him, new warmth flooding his body. Their kisses grew harder and more passionate, and the caresses on his body grew rougher. He smiled as the edge of worry left Renji's eyes, giving itself over to the passions that were igniting between the two.

Byakuya lifted himself away, spreading his thighs wide and straddling the redhead's reclined body, sighing and closing his eyes, continuing to smile as Renji's hands slid slowly down his back and clasped his bottom again, the lovely red-brown eyes alive with desire. He leaned forward and placed his palms on either side of Renji's torso, then plunged hungrily into the redhead's mouth again, his tongue curling around Renji's and his hips moving slowly, creating lovely friction between their awakened members as they rubbed together. His mouth left the redhead's, and treasured the skin of his lover's tanned, tattooed throat, before returning to Renji's mouth for another bout of penetrating kisses.

Byakuya's hips pressed more firmly into the redhead's, making Renji yield a wilder, more feral groan and grab his bottom harder, pulling at him to ask for more speed. The noble's lust-clouded eyes locked on the redhead's as he lifted himself slightly, reaching down to capture his lover's thick length, and to position it at his entrance.

His head bowed and he panted softly with effort as he took the redhead's arousal inside him in slow, shallow thrusts, then paused to lean down and kiss a sweat-misted, tattooed eyebrow. Renji pulled him down into a fierce storm of wet, hot, open-mouthed kisses as the redhead's strong hips began to move.

Riding the swell of intense emotion between them, Byakuya closed his eyes. And just for that short time...while their bodies were joined and moving together, while their hearts pounded with the exertion and their heads swam with pleasure, everything else faded away. He buried himself wholeheartedly in that small departure from reality, and in so doing, found that he felt more alive in that moment than in most others.

_What is it, _he wondered, _that makes me able to forget for a moment how lost I am, how weak I have been made, how little I can do. All of that seems unimportant when you put your arms around me, Renji Abarai. How, I wonder, did I ever live without you before? I know now, where my strength lies when everything else is taken away. It lies here, safely ensconced in the love that is between us. And at times like this, I think that our love can conquer anything._

_Anything..._

His mind went hazy as Renji's hips bucked upward, and the redhead's thrusting member found the center of pleasure inside him. Warm, rapturous waves of release gripped him, exploding out of him and splashing onto Renji's tattooed belly. The redhead's hands clenched tightly on his still thrusting bottom, and Renji groaned in ecstasy as heat erupted inside the reeling noble. Byakuya fell on Renji's mouth for a last bout of seething kisses, then Renji laid back, panting and watching with adoring eyes as the noble's pink tongue caressed his skin.

"Bya," he whispered, "C'mere."

He pulled the noble into another long, scathing kiss, then the two went quiet, Byakuya curling comfortably into his lover's strong arms and closing his eyes again.

"I love you, Renji," he breathed into the redhead's ear, making Renji shiver softly.

"I don't know why," Renji whispered back, kissing him lightly on the forehead, "I'm the one who got you into this, you know."

"No," Byakuya said with certainty, "My wicked cousin and my own short-sightedness got me into this. You are the one without whom I would not find my way out again."


	10. Inner Storm

**Chapter 10: Inner Storm**

**(A request by Willow. I really enjoyed going back to this one. I'd forgotten I left it in a pretty exciting place. Hope you like it! Love Spunky)**

"Listen to you, sounding so full of yourself!" Re-kuhime berated the bristling samurai spirit, pressing harder and forcing him back a step, "So eager are you to force my master into submission, you have foolishly opened yourself up to defeat. Sadly, this is something you would never have done in Byakuya's hands. You know this, Senbonzakura!"

"What I _know_ is that you have never been able to defeat my power!" Sen hissed, raising his reiatsu and regaining the ground he had lost, "As much as my master trained Tetsuya, himself, and guided the two of you to the heights of your power, my power has always, and still exceeds yours, as you are about to be painfully reminded!"

"We'll see who gets the painful reminder!" the pixie spirit scoffed, "What appears to have escaped you is that, by returning my master to our inner world, you relieved him of the seal holding back his powers. For, while his physical body is still restrained and powerless, his mind that traveled here is not thus encumbered by the physical seal. He can fight."

"That doesn't matter!" Senbonzakura seethed, "I _knew _that would be the way it was and I didn't care, because even fighting together, you cannot defeat me."

"Arrogant one," Tetsuya chided him, smiling as Re-kuhime's body shimmered and returned to sword form in his hand, "Byakuya warned you about your recklessness, and now it is going to cost you!"

"Scatter!" Senbonzakura shouted, sending his blade into shikai as scores of copies of Tetsuya appeared all across the meadow they stood in.

He made a sound of triumph as pink petals covered the landscape, crashing into the images and swiftly destroying them. The petals swept the meadow clean, leaving the samurai standing alone.

"Where are you?" he demanded furiously, "Stop hiding and come out and fight me, you cowards!"

"Fool, we are not afraid to face you," Tetsuya's voice chided the spirit, echoing all around Sen as copies of the noble emerged from out of the long grasses and from within the nearby lake, "You made a grave mistake by challenging us here, Senbonzakura."

"So...are you going to kill me? Your own leader's zanpakutou? Really, Tetsuya? What if, as you dream, my master survives? If you kill me, you will only drag him down too."

"Then, I shall bear the weight of both of your deaths on my soul forever!" Tetsuya exclaimed, surging out from within a cluster of waterforms and attacking from within the samurai's safe zone, "You forget, I know all of your secrets, Senbonzakura. I will not be defeated by you."

"It doesn't matter what you know. I am stronger than you. You can't overcome the difference between us with a little bit of knowledge."

Their words gave way to a hard barrage of swift strikes, blazing flash steps and fiery kido blasts. Senbonzakura's petals swirled madly around them, catching Tetsuya several times as he hastily moved between waterforms.

"You see. You are not fast enough to leave one form and go to the next before my petals strike you twice. If I have to, I will bleed you dry, one drop at a time! But I think I won't wait that long. Bankai!"

"Bankai!" Tetsuya cried, shifting away as his waterform was destroyed, "Koori no Bakuha, Re-kuhime!"

A blinding storm of petal blades rose up and was immediately met with an equally furious sea of ice blades. The two collided over the meadow, the ice exploding into mist as it was destroyed and floating over the area, impeding their view.

"Another mistake, Senbonzakura," Tetsuya said somberly, "You have allowed the mist to rise over our battlefield. And it not only impedes our view of each other, it allows me to refresh my waterforms more rapidly, as well as beginning to coat your blades in ice."

"You think I don't know that?" the samurai snapped, "I was only building up to my next release, "Senkei!"

Tetsuya watched in dismay as the thousand swords closed in around them.

"As you see," Sen explained, regaining some composure as he gained the upper hand, "As we are enclosed in this fighting space, your mist can no longer obscure things. Your waterforms cannot hide you and even if you cover my sword in ice, I have a thousand more I can use at will. Give up now, Tetsuya, before I am forced to kill you. You know that you have never once beaten my senkei. You never have and you never will."

"Perhaps you are right," Tetsuya admitted calmly, "But you forget that when I faced you in this arena, you were always wielded by my cousin. And he said, himself, that it was as much strategy as power that I was having trouble defeating. You do not have his higher intelligence guiding you, so I may yet prevail, despite being at a disadvantage."

"How _dare_ you insult my intelligence, you foul little half-blood! I can think circles around you!"

"You should be glad that my cousin cannot hear you say such things," Tetsuya responded, frowning disapprovingly, "What do you think he would say if he heard you lowering yourself to that level. Mixed blood may run in my veins, but it only reminds me to remain humble even as I grow more powerful, whereas you have become too full of yourself. Byakuya would be dismayed at your poor conduct."

"Well, he's not here! And that being the case, he won't object when I _destroy _you!"

Tetsuya flash stepped wildly, absorbing several blistering strikes, then launching a flurry of kido supported strikes and kicks that forced Senbonzakura back several steps. The samurai snarled and fired several rounds of kido, missing a number of times before scoring a glancing blow. Off balance, Tetsuya went down under another blazing attack and barely flash stepped to safety as Sen's blade came down for a finishing blow.

"You see?" the spirit seethed, renewing his attack with additional fury, "You can talk all you want, but I am stronger than you. I am wearing you down and in a heartbeat, I am going to kill you!"

"And what good am I to your new master if you kill me before I confess anything?" Tetsuya asked pointedly, "Wasn't it your goal to force me to talk to you about the archive? If you kill me, how will you then get your information? Have you become so distracted trying to bring me down that you have forgotten that you were sent to interrogate me?"

"I have forgotten nothing!" the spirit hissed, slashing at Tetsuya and catching his shoulder as he flash stepped away, "I will pry the words from your dead lips if I have to."

"Such venom coming from someone who has ever been our friend," Tetsuya observed, "Were you always so hateful, Senbonzakura, or could it be that it is your new master's vile behavior that comes through you. Don't you remember? Byakuya has always been a person who respected all life, who was tolerant of difference and would never...never lower himself to such horrid behavior as you are. It is hard to fathom that any part of him could be so hateful. You used to be challenging, yes, but you always fought with honor. I took pride in being allowed to test my strength against you."

"I haven't forgotten this," Sen assured him, pausing and watching as Tetsuya stood, panting and shaking slightly in front of him, "I don't take joy in hurting you. Just tell me what my master requires and I will plead with him to spare your life."

"I can't do that," Tetsuya said sadly, "I could never betray the intent of my lord, my cousin...my best friend. If I must die because of that, still my loyalty to him demands that I say nothing. Do you remember how loyal you were to him, Senbonzakura? You told me how much you treasured your connection with him, how you would do anything to protect him. Are you protecting him now? Or are you just desperate to stay alive however you can?"

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" the samurai shouted, surging forward and forcing Tetsuya back against the wall of the enclosure.

Tetsuya screamed in pain as he touched the bladed wall, collapsing onto his knees and gasping as the samurai closed in on him, raising his sword threateningly.

"Now, tell me what I want to know or I will show you the true meaning of suffering! Tell me how to open that door!"

Tetsuya's eyes rounded as the samurai cornered him and brought the tip of his sword to his throat.

"You have lost, once again, though I commend you for trying. You may be foolish, but you are brave. Not many would face me as you have."

He froze as Tetsuya's lips suddenly curved upward. The pink light of the swords around them flickered oddly and the swords began to shake softly.

"What is this?" the samurai demanded, "What the hell are you _doing_, you bastard?"

His voice rose into a howl of dismay as the pink swords were engulfed in bright white ice, then exploded and broke apart.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya shivered as low, urgent voices sounded around him and Orihime's gentle scent touched his senses. He felt throbs of her power sink into his ailing body and relaxed, simply allowing the power to flow through him. Very slowly, the dizziness and cold seemed to retreat and his eyes cleared. He found himself looking up into Orihime's worried expression as the healing continued.

"You're going to be all right," the girl assured him, earning a brief nod from him in return.

Byakuya remained quiet and his body relaxed as Orihime finished her work and left. A short time later, Renji returned to the room carrying a tray of food.

"Oh, I don't know if I can," Byakuya said uncertainly.

"Well, you need to," the redhead said firmly, "Your shinigami body would have survived not eating for a long time, but you're human now and you have to eat."

"I understand," Byakuya sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, then fixing them on Renji again, "I just don't know how I'll manage it while feeling so horrid."

"I'll help you, okay?" Renji said bracingly, "We'll just take a bite at a time, whatever you can handle."

"Very well."

Byakuya's stomach quailed, but he managed to take several bites of the savory food before shaking his head wearily and refusing any more.

"I am sorry, Renji. I just...can't."

"It's okay. We'll try again in a little while."

He leaned over the noble, carefully studying him, then sat back and sighed worriedly.

"Your out of balance again, sheesh...kid's never full, is he?"

"So, he must take after you?" Byakuya teased, managing a sly smirk.

"Hey, you!" Renji objected, "You shouldn't get cheeky with the guy who's helping you have this kid, you know!"

"Or what? What could you possibly do to me that hasn't been done already?" the noble said, shaking his head, "I feel like I can't be afraid anymore because the worst has already happened and somehow I'm still breathing."

"And you're gonna keep right on breathing," Renji reassured him, joining him in the bed and curling his strong body around Byakuya's shakier one, "You're going to keep on breathing and you're going to get your powers back. Rukia and Ichigo will come back soon with your cousin and we'll have what we need to stand up to your bastard cousin, Satoshi and those freaking elders. We'll go back and beat the living daylights out of them and in no time at all, you'll be home and sleeping in your own bed."

"And will you be there too, Renji?" Byakuya asked softly, "Will you be lying next to me and holding me like you are now, even when I'm strong again?"

"You sure you want me to be?" Renji asked in a quaking voice, "I mean, they shit bricks and almost killed you because we were together that once. You really want to tempt fate all over again, even once we're out of this?"

"We won't be _out of this_ until my powers are returned and I am given leave to be with you. They will have a powerful heir as they wanted and I will do my best to lead them well. But I won't be controlled by them. I won't, Renji."

"Good. I won't either," the redhead said, seeking his lips and sinking warmly into his mouth.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are you doing, you fool!" Rukia hissed, dragging Ichigo down behind the barrier that concealed them, "They almost saw you!"

"I was trying to get a look to figure out the best way to get in."

"I can tell you that without looking," Rukia said dryly, "You should have thought of that before risking exposing us."

"Sorry, geez!" the shinigami substitute sighed, rolling his eyes, "Why are you in such a crappy mood?"

"Do you need to ask?" Rukia inquired irritably, "Byakuya is suffering, and he's dying Ichigo. Every moment it takes us is another he doesn't have to lose."

"I know," Ichigo said sympathetically, slipping an arm around her, "And we're going to find Tetsuya and get back to him quickly. So, how about telling me how we're going to get in?"

That window over there will take us directly into the holding cells. We have to time our entry carefully to escape the eyes of the guards out here, then the ones inside. I can sense their positions and tell you when to move. Come on. Let's get closer."

The two remained in a crouch and slipped almost silently across the darkened grounds. They ducked down hastily as two sentries passed by, then scuttled to the brick wall of the compound, stopping to look around before Rukia stood and worked at the small window for a few minutes, then made a sound of triumph and opened it. They flinched as the window squeaked and Rukia froze, peeking cautiously inside to make sure the sound hadn't attracted any attention. She ducked as the sentries passed their position again, then scurried through the opened window and watching the corridor carefully as Ichigo followed.

They proceeded wordlessly down the quiet hallway, slowing as they approached the guard station and ducking into an office as the inside sentries passed, talking softly. Waiting a few moments, they listened for the sound of anyone else, then frowned in frustration as they realized someone was still at the guard station desk.

"Damn!" Ichigo breathed, "How're we gonna get past that guy without making any noise?"

"And more important, even if we get in, how will we get back out again, once we find my cousin?"

"One thing at a time," Ichigo said, smiling to lighten the mood, "We'll think of something."

"We need a little distraction," Rukia suggested, something to get him to leave for a minute."

She bit her lip gently, looking around until she spotted a mop that had been leaned up against the wall in the next room. A flicker of kido made the mop fall to the floor and brought the guard to his feet. He strode down the corridor, pausing at the room across from them and looking inside. While his back was turned, the two swept silently past him and into the cellblock.

"Whew! I thought he was gonna turn around and see us!" Ichigo whispered, "Good going, though. Your kido's getting to be as good as Byakuya's."

"Thanks, but save it for later. We need to find Tetsuya!"

They rushed down the line of cells, checking each and finding nothing. They had almost reached the end of the hall when Ichigo made a soft hiss and grabbed Rukia's hand. He pointed wordlessly into one of the cells and Rukia's eyes rounded.

Tetsuya laid on his stomach with his wrists bound above his head, his upper body bared and several petal blades floating threateningly over him. At his side, Senbonzakura had manifested, but sat, staring blankly, while Tetsuya laid in front of him, wearing the same distant expression.

"What the hell?" Ichigo mused, "What's going on here?"

"I don't know," Rukia whispered back.

She moved closer, staring and frowning. As she reached the two, she waved a hand in front of Sen's masked face, but the samurai remained frozen.

"What's wrong with them?" she whispered.

"I don't know, but we have to get Tetsuya and get out of here," Ichigo insisted, "Hurry, Rukia. We don't know when they're going to come out of this."

"What should we do about my brother's zanpakutou?" Rukia asked softly.

"Take a good look," Ichigo answered, frowning, "He was torturing Tetsuya. I don't think he's in his right mind. And even if we take him with us, he'll just fight us and go back to his inner world to escape us."

"I think you're right," Rukia agreed, "We'll just free Tetsuya for now, but we should report this to Kisuke as soon as we get back. Something really weird is going on here."

She reached down and shattered the bonds on Tetsuya's bleeding wrists, then Ichigo lifted the senseless noble into his arms and the two looked back down the hallway.

They waited until the guard at the desk was distracted by an incoming hell butterfly, then flash stepped past him and slipped out the way they had entered, pausing until the outer sentries had passed, then fleeing into a hastily opened senkaimon.

"That was pretty good work, Kuchiki," Ichigo said appreciatively.

"Must be my Inuzuri roots," she suggested, "We got really good at sneaking around. I just hope that we are able to wake Tetsuya and get his help with my brother. Byakuya's not doing well, Ichigo. We need to do something."

"We will," Ichigo promised, holding Tetsuya against him, enjoying the tickle of soft, raven hair against his cheek and the gentle scent of sakura that surrounded him, "Tetsuya's going to be fine now and we'll find a way to help Byakuya. We will, Rukia!"


End file.
